Sports

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — It was a successful first home game of the 2025 season for Cottage Grove girls basketball (2-0) as the Lions ran visiting Scio (0-2) out of town Friday by a 30-point margin.

Senior point guard Mariah Bailey earned player of the game honors for the second time in as many contests after a 27-point scoring performance, including 23 points in the second half.

Bailey was coming off a game in which she broke the 4A state record for 3-pointers made in a single game, hitting nine on Tuesday at Newport.

“I felt pretty good. I had a slow start, but I’m in a new role this year. Last year, I was just a shooting guard, but this year I’m a point guard, so I kind of have to do everything,” Bailey said. “I have to facilitate; my coaches want me to score. I felt great. I’m really proud of this team.”

Forward Makya Alsup, the other half of the senior scoring tandem, was dominant in the paint, finishing with 18 points while leading the team with 11 at…

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — An additional four minutes gave Cottage Grove (0-2) a chance to lift itself to a victory on its home opening night, but instead, that chance turned to defeat Friday as the Lions fell to Scio (1-1) 62-56.

Lions point guard Tai Lam left the gym having scored 16 points. His biggest shot was a hit from long range in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter to even the game up at 54-54.

This was the final field goal Cottage Grove would score for the remainder of the game and throughout overtime. The Lions were outscored 8-2 by the Loggers in the extra frame, recording their pair of points on two free throws, the first and last points of the period.

“We never quit. Tai hit a big shot to send it into overtime and give us another shot,” head coach Seth Hutchinson said. “But, in overtime, we couldn't execute, and weren’t disciplined enough and didn't capitalise on opportunities.”

The game never got too far out of the grasp of either side. The…

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.…