EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon fans had an emotional, on-the-edge-of-your-seat watch as the Ducks took on the Washington State Cougars this past Friday, November 6th. This left fans asking: Will this season repeat last season? Will the same mistakes continue to be made?
Oregon’s offense came in ready to bring the fire that they had in their last game, but we saw the same mistakes we saw last year: struggling with their offensive momentum for the entire game and only really getting it towards the end, as well as digging themselves in a hole point-wise and only barely being able to get out of it.
The Ducks' offense, which is said to be their staple this season, was nonexistent in the first half of the game. Duck fans really saw this lack of offense in the second quarter, when Washington State scored twenty points, compared to Oregon's mere nine.
“We're a really good offensive team. We don't really show it tonight, but that's gonna be our staple,” Head Coach Kelly Graves said post-game.
The biggest challenge for the Ducks was Washington State's number two, Eleonora Villa, who was running circles around the Ducks. Scoring twenty-two of the points for the Cougars and had 37 minutes on the court. She was a force to be reckoned with, and Oregon felt that pressure.
“Give Washington State credit. Those guys played really hard. They had a great game plan, a little guard, Eleonora Villa. Heck of a player." Coach Graves said, "I told the team before the game that she might be the best card we’ll play, pre-Big Ten. She's really good, and she showed it tonight.”
Oregon's defense did start to shine in the second half of the game; they started to stop Washington State players, Eleonora Villa and Charlotte Abraham, both of whom were part of the reason Oregon's offense struggled so much in the first half.
Brooklyn Haywood was the unexpected MVP of the game. She was the second-highest scorer of the game, putting up fourteen points for the Ducks. Haywood's overall chemistry with some of the more seasoned players like Katie Fiso and Ari Long was evident. Her intensity was felt throughout the game and made it so the Ducks had a fighting chance. It's something she hopefully will continue throughout this coming season.
“Brooklyn showed tonight that she’s fearless. She is an elite scorer. But I’ve been impressed with the way she passes the ball too….Brooklyn had a great game tonight,” Coach Graves said.
The Ducks brought it back in the last three minutes with their offense, and their defense improved massively in the third quarter, with Washington State only scoring 11 points, while Oregon scored 24 points. The Cougars had a big drop in their scoring average in that third quarter, going down to 28 percent from the 60 percent they had in the second quarter. The Ducks had a major jump in their scoring, jumping up to 71 percent in the third quarter, an impressive jump from their 17 percent in the second.
While the Ducks had a comeback in the fourth quarter and the players were feeling good, fans still have more to improve on before their next game. Their overall offense needs to improve. They need to work on getting to the line more and making the shots when they take them. As well as starting out with their defense, as it was in this third quarter. Combining the Ducks' offense from this fourth quarter and Defense from their third quarter would make this team unstoppable.
“Being smarter defensively and not getting 2 fouls in the first quarter…and being a lot more mature on the defensive end.” Avery Cain said. “Getting more touches and seeing my teammates, as a team, getting each other, running the high end, and getting down there more, just making a better rate,” Fiso said when asked what needed to be improved.
Seeing great things from the Ducks in the early season so far, but still much to improve on before the next game. They need to ask themselves: do they want a repeat of last season?
The Ducks will be on the road Monday, November 9th, at 7 pm, against the Grand Canyon University Antelope.