Written Story by Knight Jarecki
EUGENE, OR — Finishing their fourth non-conference game of the season, #18 Oregon Women’s Basketball (4-0) downed the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (2-3) 66-55 Monday night at Matthew Knight Arena. With the win, the Ducks have won 51 of their last 52 non-conference games at home and Oregon improves to 42-8 all-time in the month of November under Kelly Graves.
Oregon came into the game riding a 3-game win streak that featured three blowout victories but Southern Utah gave the Ducks their closest match to date with the 11-point victory. After Oregon led 24-15 at the end of the first, Southern Utah played the Ducks competitively in the second as Oregon struggled from the field shooting 33.3% to the Thunderbirds’ 41.7% shooting resulting in a 10-point lead at the half for the Ducks at 35-25. It seemed like the Ducks had some extra motivation after the halftime break as Oregon shot 8-16 from the field including 4-6 from behind the arc in the 3rd quarter to outscore Southern Utah 24-8 in the frame. Southern Utah made the final score closer at the end as the Thunderbirds outscored Oregon 21-5 over the final 9minuetes and 4 seconds as Oregon was held scoreless in the final 4:07.
Te-Hina Paopao led the way with 17 points on 7-10 shooting. Paopao also finished with 4 assists and 3 rebounds in the effort. Chance Gray had an excellent game shooting 4-8 from the field with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while matching her season total with two 3-pointers. Grace VanSlooten also added 12-points and 5 rebounds in the effort. Southern Utah came into the game +17.5 in rebounding and the Thunderbirds were able to exploit Oregon’s small-ball lineup in the paint finishing with 41 rebounds compared to the Ducks’ 31. Oregon also struggled from the charity stripe shooting 5-12 from the line.
Oregon now heads to Portland on Thanksgiving Thursday as the Ducks have a Top-20 game scheduled against #8 North Carolina (4-0) in the PK85 Tournament. The Ducks will then play on Sunday against the winner of Iowa State and Michigan.
Final Stats:
Audio Story by Graham Metzker
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