EUGENE, Ore. -- Coming off a gritty 58-53 win over the Auburn Tigers, the University of Oregon Women’s Basketball team returned home to host a storied Pacific Northwest rivalry with the Oregon State Beavers. Entering into the 49th matchup of the series, Oregon State led the all-time record 28-20, with the first-ever game being played all the way back in 2002.
Oregon went into this game at a perfect 9-0, marking the first time the team has started undefeated since the 2015-16 season. Oregon State stepped into Matthew Knight Arena, donning a 5-3 record with tough losses to Virginia Tech, 17th-ranked Vanderbilt, and Colorado State.
The Oregon defense opened the game with an active performance in the first quarter, allowing it to continue putting an almost complete stop on the Oregon State offense throughout the first half. The Ducks created nine turnovers and capitalized on offense with 22 points off those turnovers.
The dynamic duo of senior forward Mia Jacobs and sophomore guard Katie Fiso combined for a total of 17 points in the first half. Fiso had some words of endearment for her teammates when asked about her performance.
“Yeah, my teammates were just in the right places, creating the right reads, setting the right screen, playing good on defense, and running transition,” Fiso said.
Junior forward Sarah Rambus also let her name be heard in the second quarter, scoring 10 of the Ducks’ 26 second-quarter points. She eventually finished with 18 points to cap off a great night for the Flint, Michigan native.
Oregon State guard Jenna Villa continued her consistent level of scoring, being one of the few bright spots for the Beavers in the first half. Finishing the half with 11 points, one rebound and three assists. The Ducks ended the half shooting 74 percent from the field and causing the Beavers to turn the ball over 14 times.
The third quarter included much of the same turnover struggles for Oregon State. But after a slow start for the Beavs’ leading scorer this season and Eugene native Tiara Bolden, she rattled off a respectable seven points after only scoring four in the first half. Bolden and Villa both acted as spark plugs for the Beaver offense as they began to wake up in the second half. Much to the dismay of Oregon head coach Kelly Graves.
“We just kind of lost that, you know, that killer instinct,” Graves said.
Late in the third, Oregon's leading scorer, Fiso, limped to the bench with an apparent ankle injury but later returned to finish the game.
Despite Coach Graves’ concerns, Oregon continued to dominate throughout the fourth quarter, not letting the Beavs within 10 points and finally putting them to bed. Both Jacobs and Fiso finished the night with 20-plus points, with Fiso also racking up 14 assists, which gives her another double-double on the year.
Villa finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with three assists and two rebounds. This win is Oregon’s largest margin of victory against Oregon State at home. The Beavers fall to 5-4 and will host Alaska Anchorage on Sunday. The Ducks will face a much different test in Los Angeles on Sunday against the No. 2-ranked UCLA Bruins.