Sports

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — Trailing by 17 points midway through the third quarter in the final game of the regular season, hope for a playoff berth seemed to be fading inside Cottage Grove’s boys basketball huddle. The game was essentially a win-or-go-home scenario for the Lions, playing on the road against a North Bend team without much at stake other than its seniors. A switch flipped, and so did the game. The final shot rang off the rim and, with the sound of the buzzer, the Lions had done it, 59-58.

The 2024-25 season for Cottage Grove boys basketball was one that went through peaks and valleys. The Lions began the year 0-3, then won six of their next nine games and finished February with one wild comeback.

“I was proud of the guys for battling through. We had to come back at North Bend, and they showed some grit and some tenacity in that game,” Cottage Grove head coach Seth Hutchinson said. “We pulled one out, and we gave ourselves a chance in the postseason.”

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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…

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon women’s volleyball has faced many changes and challenges this season. The main one being a completely brand new team. Following the departure of head coach Matt Ulmer, outside hitter Mimi Colyer and 99 percent of the squad following the 2024 season, Oregon had to rebuild its team from scratch. Despite the new team, the Ducks have had to prove themselves worthy of a spot within the Big Ten, which would be a difficult task during any season. 

The new Oregon Ducks team consists of multiple transfers from varying colleges, such as the University of Michigan, to Univerzitet Union-Nikola Tesla in Serbia, as well as a good number of freshmen. Having a fresh new team made up of diverse players from different parts of the world makes Oregon's roster dynamic and unpredictable, offering an eccentric blend of playing styles and experiences that managed to give the team a competitive edge this season. 

“With 15 new people and one returner, we’re…

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks pulverized the visiting Utah State Aggies 70-34 on Sunday afternoon. The game was close in the first quarter, but behind the Ducks' excellent defense and timely scoring, they found the path to a dominant victory. Katie Fiso and Sophia Rambus both led the team with 13 points. The Ducks played a team game with every player except one recording a point while shutting down the Utah State offense.

Though a cloudy day outside in Eugene, inside Matthew Knight Arena, it was rocking, reminiscent of the College GameDay event held on campus the day before. Oregon (6-0) came in undefeated on the season, coming off an 86-59 vs Washington State on Wednesday. Utah State (3-3) last played against Omaha, where they won 77-69. The Ducks were trying to secure their second-straight 6-0 start to begin the season. 

Oregon got big games from senior Mia Jacobs and sophomore Katie Fiso, who each scored 20 in two of their last three games. Jacobs, the…

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon (15-13, 6-12 BigTen) women’s volleyball hosted its last home game at Matthew Knight Arena against Michigan (21-8, 11-7 Big Ten) this Saturday. The Ducks had faced the USC Trojans days prior and succumbed to an unfortunate loss. Oregon hoped to win Saturday's game in order to bring it home for the Ducks one last time. 

Early on in the first set, it was a back-and-forth fight. Every time Michigan managed to get on the scoreboard, Oregon answered back with a kill and vice versa. Errors such as service errors, passing mistakes and missed attacks are what caused the back-and-forth limbo state. 

Scrappy plays and scrambling for the ball defined the first set. The ball was everywhere, and wherever the ball went, the Ducks followed. Amazing plays started by senior Cora Taylor and executed by Alanah Clemente, Valentina Vaulet and Sophia Meyers are what kept Oregon in the game. Other players, such as freshmen Reese Sheppard and Natalie Fukumoto,…

EUGENE, Ore. — Coming off the big win against No. 9 Purdue over the weekend, Oregon (15-12, 6-11 BigTen) faced off against No. 16 USC (21-6, 12-5 BigTen) for the second time in the conference this Wednesday. The Ducks faced the Trojans on the road back in October, losing in three sets. Wednesday’s game gave the Ducks a chance at retribution. 

The Ducks ‘retribution did not come without a fight. Just a handful of points into the first set, Oregon kept denying the Trojans’ attempts to kill the ball, blocking ball after ball until Alanah Clemente pushed the ball deep into USC’s court and earned the Ducks the point. Fans in the stands shot up and roared in cheers after the long-anticipated point. The crowd seemed to have wanted it just as much as Oregon did. 

The entire first set was back and forth. Whenever USC scored, Oregon answered back. Balls going in between blocks and the defense not being there in corners were the main cause of Oregon’s struggles. The…

EUGENE, Ore. - After being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, Oregon Women’s Volleyball (15-12, 6-11 Big Ten) breakout freshman star Alanah Clemente continued her dominance on the court against the No. 16 USC Trojans (21-6, 12-5 Big Ten) in a four set defeat (33-31, 26-28, 26-28, 19-25).

“I thought we did a great job and we battled,” Oregon head coach Trent Kersten said. “We’re a better team than we were a month ago.” 

Coming off the upset victory over No. 9 Purdue and a career high in kills, Clemente got off to a hot start, nailing a service ace on her first serve of the match. The Big Ten Conference leader in service aces would go on to record two total aces in the match, along with coming just one kill short of tying her career high, recording 24 total kills on the night.

After falling behind early, attacking errors from USC allowed Oregon to keep it close throughout the first set and send it well past the 25 points…

When the No. 8 Oregon Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) took the field Friday night against the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3, 4-2), it was the first time in nearly a year the Ducks had played under their home lights.

Oregon got a late boost to its offense, as star tight end Kenyon Sadiq made his triumphant return to the gridiron. Sadiq immediately had an impact on the game, making an incredible diving catch to set up the first touchdown of the game.

After an unsuccessful rush from quarterback Dante Moore, the ball was handed off to running back Jordon Davison, who put the Ducks ahead 7-0 after the extra point was tacked on.

Oregon’s defense didn’t disappoint either, holding its opponent to negative yards on its first drive of the game.

The second drive of the game made it 14-0 in the Ducks’ favor, as Davison weaved through a swarm of Golden Gophers for his second six points of the quarter, marking his sixth multi-touchdown game of his collegiate career.…

Under the bright Friday night lights, with a brisk chill settling over the field, fans piled into The Farm, buzzing with anticipation for a matchup that promised fireworks from the opening whistle, as No. 5 Thurston hosted No. 13 Churchill with hopes of stamping its ticket into the state semifinals. 

After a gritty 34-17 victory over No. 12-ranked Bend, the Colts looked to flip the script this week as they welcomed Churchill for the second round of the 5A OSAA state tournament. For the Lancers, following a huge upset win last week, where they took down No. 4 Lebanon. The Lancers hope to keep their state hopes alive with another upset win on the road against the Colts. 

After already meeting this season, with Thurston coming out on top, the Colts looked to repeat the process once again by relying on this effective offense. The Lancers sought to avenge their earlier season loss by looking to their flashy rushing attack.

Thurston came into the game with a…

EUGENE, Ore. – Senior players are essential for every team. There is a need for leadership and unwavering support on the court, and senior players perfectly exude that. 

No. 12 Oregon (14-10, 5-9 BigTen) faced No. 8 Michigan State (18-6, 8-6 BigTen) in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday after a long stretch of away games, where seniors on both sides were acknowledged and celebrated for Senior Day. 

Senior Ducks Cora Taylor, Sophia Meyers and Maya De Los Reyes were highlighted for Sunday's game. Des Los Reyes has been with the team since the 2022 season, where she started out as a serving specialist before progressing into the team’s defensive specialist. She is the only returning player after the complete disbandment of Oregon’s team, which included Coach Matt Ulmer and outside hitter Mimi Colyer parting ways with the school. 

Taylor, the Ducks’ setter, played for Butler before playing for Oregon. With the Bulldogs, she amassed 3,036 assists during her…