EUGENE, Ore. — Australian native and senior transfer forward Mia Jacobs surpassed 1,500 points Sun, Dec 7th, against UCLA, in the Ducks’ first loss of the season.
Jacobs started her basketball journey in Perth, Western Australia, and transferred after high school to La Salle University in Pennsylvania. After showing lots of potential in her freshman season, she transferred to Fresno State, where she started for two years. She was named first-team All-Mountain West in 2024-25 after leading her team with 18.3 points. Jacobs has integrated seamlessly into the Ducks, becoming a veteran leader and is tied for the team lead with 22 three pointers, which is good for second among all Big Ten forwards.
1,500 points is quite the feat. Jacobs became the 32nd active player in the NCAA with 1,500 points. She is no stranger to the 3-ball, as she shot 36.4% and 38% her two previous seasons. At 6-foot-2, Jacobs has been able to rain down from beyond the arc this year, going 22-for-61, good for a 36 percent clip. She has also been a force in the paint, grabbing 68 rebounds, good for second on the team.
She has not been the only long-range shooter for the Ducks. Junior Sophia Bell has been another weapon for Head Coach Kelly Graves. She is tied for the team lead with 22 threes. She earned high praise from Coach Graves.
"She's more than just a 3-and-D, she's the best defender on the team and an outstanding shooter,” he said in Friday's media availability.
The shooters couldn't do it without the ball getting dished to them. The main server has been Katie Fiso. Fiso leads the team with 91 assists, almost 50 ahead of the next player. She has been a key part of Oregon's early-season offense, directing play from the point guard position.
Coming into Sunday's matchup vs the Montana State Bobcats, Jacobs, Bell and the Ducks look to bounce back after their first loss of the season, 80-59, vs No. 4 UCLA. The impact was felt right away as the Ducks, down 8-5, relied on Bell and Jacobs to get the lead back. Jacobs, then Bell, then Jacobs again hit threes that sent the crowd into a ruckus. Once the Ducks had the lead, there was no looking back.
After the first quarter, Jacobs led the team with nine points and four rebounds, while Bell led in assists with three.. The trust in Bell's defense was evident as she matched up with Bobcat guard Tayl Chirrick, who is averaging over 18 points a game. At half, Jacobs and Bell had tallied nine points each, accounting for almost half of Oregon's total of 37. Jacobs kept her strong rebounding pace, finishing the half with seven boards.
Oregon led 37-14 with a strong emphasis on limiting the quality of the Bobcats' chances, holding them to 6-for-28shooting from the field. Oregon finished the half shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc.
Coming out of the half, the Ducks’ Ari Long exploded on offense with a quick 10 points.
“I was just trying to make the most of my opportunities,” she said.
Jacobs and Bell took on more supportive roles, both grabbing rebounds and assists. A tough 3-point play from Bell got her back into the scoring column. Bell then hit a 3 with 2:29 to go in the third, which triggered an early shout. She finished the quarter with a team-leading 15 points, and Fiso took the lead in assists with four.
With the Ducks up by 30, Bell and Jacobs did not get much time in the fourth quarter. Jacobs logged two points and a couple of rebounds, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Bell finished with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists; she held Chirrick to nine points and six rebounds. The Ducks struggled from the field in the fourth quarter, tanking their percentage stats, but were still able to muster a 29 percent clip from three.
“If we made maybe half of our uncontested layups, we would have at least 15 points more,” Graves said after the game.
“Katie was just a little off tonight, that's fine, games like that are gonna happen, it's great for others to step up,” he added.
Fiso was not her usual self, only having 10 points and five assists, but the Ducks were able to rally around her and win 69-44.
“When we get that kind of production from our wings, it makes us a lot better.” Graves said of Bell and Long's performances.
This win is the first since the victory over rival Oregon State on Dec. 3. Jacobs, Bell and the Ducks play again on Thursday, Dec. 11, against Portland University at Matthew Knight Arena. They will look to continue to rain down 3s behind the prominent shooting and defense of Mia Jacobs and Sophia Bell.