Matthew Knight Arena hosted a Big Ten clash of women's basketball with the Minnesota Golden Gophers packing their bags and heading to the west coast to take on the Oregon Ducks, in the last game of their road trip. The Golden Gophers came into the matchup looking to get back into the win column after losing to the Washington Huskies 67-54. For the Ducks, they were looking to bounce back in a big way after taking a crushing double-overtime loss to Wisconsin, 94-92.
“That happens, it's part of the Big Ten… that makes it tough,” head coach Kelly Graves said of the impact of a tough game stacked with travel. “But I’m not gonna use that as an excuse, which is why I'll answer it in here and not to the players, but yeah that's always an issue.”
Heading into the match-up, Graves and the Ducks led the all-time series 3-0. The last time the two teams came across each other was in February of 2025 on Minnesota’s home court.
The game began with both teams struggling to get anything going and failing to score on their first two possessions. Katie Fiso broke the dry streak with a long 2-point shot. Following the Fiso basket, the Ducks really found their stride from the stripe, drawing numerous fouls, including a Sofia Bell 3-point trip to the line.
After a physical first quarter, both teams really flexed their defensive muscles, fighting for every bucket. Through the physical defense, Fiso really showed how much of a threat she is, scoring four tough points to end the quarter.
To start the second quarter, the Golden Gophers came out quick, going on a 6-0 run. After a flurry of missed shots by the Ducks, Minnesota’s balanced attack of great defense and shot selection resulted in a 21-18 lead halfway through the second. Coach Graves, recognizing the momentum, subbed back in the starting group. A pair of huge 3-point shots from Avary Cain and Sofia Bell put the Ducks back on top. After the two huge shots, Minnesota went on a 4-0 run with Oregon failing to score in the last three and a half minutes of the first half. Fiso led the way for the Ducks with eight points.
Coming out of the break, both teams started quickly, with Oregon hitting a triple early. Minnesota responded by starting to build momentum as the Ducks sent them to the charity stripe on back-to-back possessions. With momentum building, Ehis Etute gave Oregon a jolt of energy with a tough 3-point play. After being down by as much as eight points, Cain hit a huge 3-point shot to bring the Ducks back within one.
“She had very good activity, she was good on the boards, she has the talent to be a great player,” Graves said of Cain’s impact. “I thought she played a great game.”
Following another empty possession for the Golden Gophers, Sarah Rambus hit a mid-range shot to give the Ducks their first lead of the second half. After coming within one point, the matchup became a battle. It became a punch-counterpunch mentality for both sides. When one team would score, the other would quickly respond, with the dust settling after three, the Ducks down 44-42.
Entering the final quarter, Oregon was held scoreless for the first two minutes as the Gophers continued to extend their lead to six. After a huge 3 from the logo for Minnesota, Etute responded with another tough and-one layup, trying to get the Ducks' momentum to swing in their direction. Oregon started to catch fire, going on a 7-0 run to bring the deficit within five. After sending the Gophers to the free-throw line down by six, Mia Jacobs hit a clutch triple to give the Ducks a last lifeline with less than a minute to go.
It was pure chaos in the final minute of play, players diving on the floor, fans erupting, and in the final seconds, Minnesota made the layup that proved to be the nail in the coffin, putting the lead to two possessions. The Ducks fell to the Golden Gophers 65-60.
“Three really good close games in conference, and we couldn’t get it done.” Coach Graves said when asked about yet another tough loss.
“It's definitely been frustrating how close they’ve been,” Bell added about the consecutive losses. “We’re definitely really frustrated because they’re one or two-possession games and we're competing but fall just short.”
The Ducks will look to get back in the win column at home, where they will host the Penn State Nittany Lions in their next outing on January 24th at 2 p.m.