Oregon women’s basketball went into Sunday's game after an astounding win against No. 21 USC, with the Ducks taking it 71-66. They also hoped to extend their win streak in the new year after beating Northwestern ten days prior.
The Ducks began the game with a 3-point shot by Sofia Bell, and the Spartans shortly followed with a layup from Jalyn Brown.
Bell continued leading Oregon’s offense, going 4-for-4 from distance during the first quarter and putting the first twelve points on the board for the Ducks.
Katie Fiso also dominated the court and put up six points for the Ducks with three assists, along with Mia Jacobs, whose second-chance layup at the buzzer had Oregon leading 31-20.
In the second quarter, the Ducks once again led with a jumper by Sarah Rambus on a fast break.
But the Spartans quickly reacted and went on the offense, scoring five points in a row with three steals and five turnovers.
Both sides were very aggressive, as there were a total of six personal fouls, with five coming from Oregon.
The Spartans made a quick comeback, and even as Fiso made a layup with nine seconds left in the half, it wasn’t enough to get back in the lead as Michigan State led the game 44-43.
In the second half, the Spartans came out stronger on both defense and offense, setting the tempo after the break and continuing to have the advantage.
“They had a nice run in the second quarter, and we had a great run at the start of the game,” head coach Kelly Graves said.
Bell continued to score another 3-pointer, which made her 5-for-7 from deep to total 15 points for the evening. Then, at the start of the fourth quarter, Bell canned yet another 3-pointer to reach a career-high of 18 total points while tying the game for the Ducks at 67 apiece.
With the tie, the Spartans quickly called for a timeout, which was definitely a change in the game for the Ducks.
But it was still not enough, as the Spartans continued to steal the ball and collect a majority of the rebounds, totaling 40 during the entire game.
With five minutes left in the game, Fiso forced the Ducks into the lead with a driving layup, putting them ahead by one, 73-72.
The fourth quarter was a fight as Fiso continued to try and lead the Ducks to victory by continuously pushing back to barely maintain control.
With less than two minutes left in the game, Oregon was still fighting, down by five, as Fiso continued to score — totaling eight points in the fourth quarter.
With multiple fouls called on the Ducks, the Spartans kept the lead, as Oregon ultimately lost 85-81.
“At the end of the day, you gotta win the game, gotta finish out the game,” Fiso said. “There’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
The Ducks dominated the first half but just fell through in the second half due to fatigue.
“It’s a game we let get away,” Graves said. “My fault, we made some tired turnovers when I should have given some players rest in the second half.”
The Ducks will go on the road against Iowa on Thursday, January 15th, at 6 PM.