Written by: Rob Moseley, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. — The alarms were set to ring early Thursday morning for the Oregon women’s basketball team, which was scheduled to leave before the sun came up for a tournament in Hawai’i early next week.The sky might not be bright at that hour, but the No. 23 Ducks’ moods should be. They were to leave for the islands after improving to 6-0 on Wednesday, with a 70-68 victory over Auburn before 5,067 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.“Pleasure is a lot more fun after hard work,” said UO coach Kelly Graves, whose team opened this week with a win Monday over Grand Canyon. “And we’ve worked hard the last couple nights.”The UO women bounced back from a sluggish opening quarter Wednesday by taking control in the second. They took the lead midway through the period and never gave it back up, though the Tigers made it a one-possession game multiple times in the fourth quarter.“Tough, gritty wins — they’re hard to come by but they’re really rewarding,” Graves said. “… We’ve got some work ahead of us, but this was a heck of a game.”Phillipina Kyei made her first start of the season and finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Amina Muhammad added 10 points with five boards, Peyton Scott scored 13 — including 11 in the second quarter — and Deja Kelly added seven points with five rebounds and six assists.The Ducks also got two huge three-pointers from Sofia Bell early in the fourth, and Elisa Mevius capped a nine-point night with a three-point play that made it 69-63 with 27 seconds left. Those were key moments in Wednesday’s result, but in the big picture Kyei’s return to form was of the utmost significance.“They’re big, they’re physical — it’s an SEC team,” Graves said. “And she went in and not only held her own, she was the best post on the floor tonight. So I think that confidence is going to help her continue to grow.”How It Happened: After scoring on their opening possession, the Ducks committed three straight turnovers, setting the tone for a ragged start. By the end of the first quarter, the two teams had combined for 16 turnovers; nine were by Auburn, but Oregon’s 4-of-13 shooting prevented the Ducks from taking advantage and they trailed 12-9 at the start of the second.By that point it was clear the game was going to be tightly officiated, with 40 total fouls ultimately called. Also, Auburn’s athleticism on defense forced Oregon to adjust its plan of attacking from the wings and instead run its offense through the middle of the floor.“You can’t go into a game expecting how the refs are going to call it, or how the other team is going to play,” Scott said. “It’s a game of adapting, every quarter. You might come in thinking you’ve got a game plan, and change it. We just had to make those adjustments and be disciplined.”Embracing that mindset, the Ducks flipped the script in the second quarter. Kyei, Scott and Mevius scored out of the quarter break to put Oregon up 15-12, and a bucket by Scott followed by a Kyei three-point play made it 20-16. After Auburn scored, the Ducks then ripped off a 9-0 run, with two buckets from Scott and one each from Kelly and Muhammad.Oregon’s defense set the tone coming out of halftime. The Ducks led 33-27 at the break, and stretched the lead to 43-30 before Auburn finally made its first field goal of the second half, more than 5 minutes in. But the Tigers fought back to within 50-44 through three quarters, then hit a three to open the fourth quarter and make it a one-possession game.“They’re not easy to play,” Graves said. “They keep coming at you.”It was at that point, with Auburn within 50-47, that Bell hit her consecutive threes — the only made three-pointers by the Ducks all night. Kyei then scored to make it an 8-0 run, on a night when she twice let out loud roars following big plays in the post.“It was great — whenever I show that much emotion, it means I want to get my teammates going,” Kyei said. “They know what time it is.”Time and again, the Ducks weathered Auburn runs down the stretch. The Tigers got within 58-53, but baskets by Muhammad and Kelly put Oregon back up by nine. It was 66-63 with less than a minute left when Mevius attacked from the left side of the basket, using her right hand, and spun in the layin before converting a three-point play.In the waning seconds, the Ducks secured a defensive rebound up 70-65, but a turnover and a quick three got Auburn within two. Oregon was able to inbound the ball and run out the clock however, helping the Ducks sleep soundly Wednesday night before jetting off to the islands bright and early Thursday.Notable: The Ducks are 6-0 for the first time since starting 8-0 in 2020-21, and have won 70 of their last 72 nonconference home games. … Oregon beat Auburn for the first time ever. The Tigers won both previous matchups, in 1989 and 1990. … As was the case Monday, the Ducks played without Ehis Etute, Salimatou Kourouma and Sammie Wagner.Up Next: The Ducks face Georgia Tech in the Hawai’i North Shore Showcase on Monday (4 p.m., BallerTV).
