EUGENE, ORE. — The Oregon Ducks women's basketball team squared off against the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes in their seventh game against a top-25 opponent. The Ducks fell 80-64 to Ohio State, with their defense and 3-point shooting not enough to overcome the Buckeyes.
The Ducks now hold a record of 2-5 against ranked foes. They came into the matchup on a four-game winning streak.
“We had a good week of practice,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “I think our kids really believe we’ve been playing well, having won four in a row, but yeah, we didn't have it tonight.”
During the winning streak, Oregon has relied on paint scoring and defense from the sophomore forward from Luxembourg, Ehis Etute. She came into the game scoring 20-plus points in the team's last two outings. Etute has also collected nine or more rebounds in her last six games.
Both teams came in with highly touted defenses thriving off steals and rebounds. As a team, Ohio State is the Big Ten leader in steals per game (12.7) and turnover margin (plus-9.6) while ranking second with five blocks per game. Oregon is no slouch in those areas, recording a steal on 12.9 percent of opponent possessions, which is the fourth-highest rate in the Big Ten and 34th-highest in the nation.
Matthew Knight Arena was rocking as 5,371 packed in for the noon tip just three and a half hours before the Super Bowl, showing that the Oregon versus Ohio State rivalry goes well beyond just football. The first quarter saw tough defense from both sides, but reliance on the 3-pointer jump-started the offensive output. Both sides were 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, while Oregon outrebounded the Buckeyes 9-7.
Ohio State’s defense took control in the second quarter, not allowing any Duck points until halfway through the period. On par with their defensive style, the Buckeyes had already recorded nine steals up to that point. Oregon was not letting the game slip out of reach as it made Ohio State work for every bucket.
The only Ducks to score in the second quarter were Etute with three points and Sarah Rambus with four. Etute was tied for the team lead in rebounds with guard Sofia Bell, each grabbing three boards. Ohio State center Elsa Lemmila was the leading scorer for both teams, putting in 10 points as her 6-foot-6 frame was hard for the Ducks to match up with.
Down 34-25 coming out of halftime, Oregon tried to get back to its long-range shooting roots as Ari Long knocked down a 3-pointer assisted by Etute right out of the gates. The Buckeyes’ defense was tenacious in the paint, out-rebounding the Ducks 20-17. Ohio State was able to turn them into points, scoring 16 off the fast break with five minutes to go in the third quarter.
Ohio State dissected Oregon's formidable defense with a strong defense of its own. It got good looks on the offensive end with timely hands on the ball and strong defensive positioning. Oregon kept it close, not letting the Buckeyes go on any big runs, but was prevented from going on any runs themselves.
The third quarter ended 56-44 for the Buckeyes, who were aided by 22 Duck turnovers to that point.
“This is who they are, what they are, and how they play,” Graves said of the turnovers Ohio State forced. “They are just relentless.”
The fourth quarter saw Long hit another 3 early, but Ohio State responded every time with guard Kennedy Cainbridge draining two deep 3-pointers. Oregon's defense could not stop the bleeding as the Buckeyes pulled away to a 21-point lead with five minutes to go in the game. Down by that much, the Ducks started letting every shot fly, which saw Katie Fiso and Mia Jacobs both splash 3s.
Playing more loosely seemed to help the Ducks on both ends as they pulled the game within 12, forcing a Buckeye timeout. That was the closest the game got for the remainder of the time as Ohio State scored enough to keep it out of striking distance. The game ended 80-64 with Ohio State coming away with the tough-fought victory.
Etute led the Ducks in rebounds with eight, as is usually the case, and Long’s 16 led them in scoring.
“They are a really good team,” Long said after the game. “We have now more things that we can get better from moving forward.”
The story of the game was the Buckeyes' defense forcing 23 turnovers while capitalizing on their shots, hitting 51 percent from the field.
“I’m not discouraged,” Graves said. “I am certainly disappointed, but you know we have a lot of season left. Get back up on that horse. We got a whole week to lick our wounds and heal up.”
Up next for the Ducks, they travel to Washington to face their West Coast rivals on Feb. 15, a full week away. Ohio State will face Maryland Feb. 15 back in Ohio as they look to stay ranked in the top 10. Oregon will be home again Feb. 19, facing unranked Nebraska.