Written Story by Maddie Lang
EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon Women’s Basketball (1-0) kicked off their season in Matthew Knight Arena defeating the Northwestern Wildcats (0-1) 100-57. Oregon started the game strong, scoring the first nine points of the game. Oregon’s continued pressure on the Wildcat offense gave them seven forced turnovers in the first quarter alone. The Ducks struggled outside the three point line to start off the game but Guard Taya Hanson closed the first half with a 3 pointer which gave the Ducks a 50-27 point lead heading into the half. Northwestern put the pressure on in the third quarter, but after a slow start the Ducks continued to dominate on the court. Their shots began to fall and their defense didn’t let up. The Ducks closed out the night with 13 steals, 41 rebounds, and 52.9 shooting percentage. The Ducks have their fresh faces, high pressure defense, and strong offense to thank for their victory Monday night.
Leading the Oregon offense in scoring for the night was Forward Grace VanSlooten. She had a total of 20 points, the most points scored by an Oregon freshman since teammate Guard Te-Hina Paopao in 2020. Right behind her were fellow freshman Guard Jennah Isai with 17 points and Guard Chance Gray with 14 points. Oregon’s group of freshmen have done a great job of proving their worth on the team so far this season. With the loss of Oregon star player Sedona Prince due to a surgery for a torn ligament in her elbow, Oregon has given players like VanSlooten and company the task of filling her shoes, which they have had no problem doing. The Oregon freshmen squad made up over half of their total points for the night. They will be an exciting group to watch as the season unfolds.
The Ducks were relentless on the defensive end when it came to pressuring the ball and causing turnovers. Oregon had a total of 13 steals and 29 defensive rebounds. The Ducks applied a full-court press on the Wildcats right from the start. They forced turnover after turnover which they converted to fastbreak points. Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said the team wanted to emphasize transitions and keeping the pace up. Much credit was given to Chance Gray for setting this tone for the Oregon defense, leading the team with 3 steals. Teammate Te-Hina Paopao said that Gray “set the tone for defense” and pressured the ball. The dominating force from Gray and the rest of the Ducks is what prevented the Wildcats from high-scoring runs.
Along with Oregon’s defense, Te-Hina Paopao and Arizona State transfer Taya Hanson also gave outstanding performances. Paopao ended the night with 2 steals and 15 points going 5/8 from inside the three point line and 1/2 outside. Hanson got into some early foul trouble but managed to fight back and ended the night with one steal and nine points shooting 3/8 from inside the three point line and 3/5 from behind it. Paopao and Hanson helped set the tone for the game for the younger players. They worked to create a strong team dynamic that showcased their skills as well as the skills of the younger players.
The next matchup for Oregon will be Saturday at 11:00 AM PST in Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks will host Seattle University who sit at 1-0 after just one contest so far this season.
Audio Story by Jakob Salao