EUGENE, Ore. - A great day in Matthew Knight Arena for the Ducks; they had an incredible first game of the season against Hawai’i’s Rainbow Wahine. Oregon held the lead for most of the game, fighting through Hawai’i’s strong defense to win 87-54.
The first quarter started slowly for the Ducks, with Hawai’i’s Rainbow Wahine taking the first points, 4-0 at 7:40. But it didn’t last long, and the Ducks then went on a 16-point run.
Katie Fiso and Ari Long had a powerful presence in the first five minutes of the game. Long stole the ball twice in the first minute of the game, and Fiso had an assist along with five points. Ari Long and Katie Fiso were the lead runners in the first quarter. Fiso had nine points, and Long had seven, making 16 of the Ducks' 28 points for the quarter. The ending score of the first quarter was 28-10, Oregon with a huge lead.
The second quarter was a defensive matchup from both teams. Neither team was getting an inch to score. Oregon was struggling with the intensity that the Rainbow Wahine were bringing to the second quarter. Both teams went back-to-back on scoring and turnovers.
“You know, we had three really good quarters, and then we kind of, in the second quarter, the intensity, we lost it a little bit,” Kelly Graves said.
On the other hand, we got to see Mallory Heyer, the transfer from Minnesota, make some great plays, scoring six points for the Ducks. We also saw the freshman Emilia Krstevski get some minutes on the floor, scoring three points of her own. Ending the first half of the game, the Ducks were leading by 14 points, 47-33.
Hawai’i brought the fire in the first five minutes of the second half of the game, scoring nine points trying to catch up to the Ducks. But Oregon didn’t let up, though the Ducks scored 13 points in that time, still holding a steady lead. The Ducks had back-to-back scoring with a 2-pointer from Fiso and a 3-pointer from Long.
Oregon had a newfound energy in the second half of the game. Taking the intensity that they were given in the first half from Hawai’i and turning it back against them. Going on an 11-point run to end the quarter, 71-43, Oregon led.
Starting the fourth quarter, Oregon got the first points, setting the tone for what was an electric last quarter. Both teams brought it all in those last five minutes, with all four of Oregon's freshmen being brought in during those last minutes. The freshmen held a strong defense against Hawai’i. The Ducks took the win by 33 points against the Rainbow Wahine, 87-54.
“They kept biting till the end. I liked that; I thought defensively they played smart and created some transition opportunities, which is great,” Kelly Graves said.
The Ducks will be back in Matthew Knight Arena Friday, November 6th, at 7 pm against the Washington State Cougars.