EUGENE, Ore. — In what could be the last Pac-12 matchup in the historic rivalry, the Oregon Ducks (11-12, 2-8) weren’t able to complete the comeback against the No. 18 Oregon State Beavers (18-3, 7-3), losing 64-60 to complete the season sweep.
“I’m just really disappointed for our team,” said head coach Kelly Graves. “I thought we played a really good basketball game, we played really hard tonight. Gave ourselves a chance to win against a good team and we fell just a little bit short.”
Both teams started off cold before Grace VanSlooten got the scoring started with a hard drive to the hoop for a three-point play. The Ducks played strong defense throughout the first half, holding the Beavers to only 30 points on 39 percent shooting from the field and 2-of-12 shooting from three, but struggled to score themselves.
Oregon State played an aggressive drop coverage against Oregon’s ball screens, planting Raegan Beers under the hoop while going under on every screen, daring the Ducks to make shots off the dribble. They were able to consistently get good looks, but just couldn’t get anything to fall, missing six shots in a row in the first quarter and eight straight in the second. These cold stretches helped the Beavers build their lead with a 9-0 run in the first and a 7-2 run in the second.
Despite the offensive struggles, Oregon went into halftime with plenty of momentum thanks to one of their best plays of the season. With just over a minute left in the half, Chance Gray hit her first and missed her second free throw, but Phillipina Kyei was determined to make sure the Ducks kept possession. She fought the box out from Oregon State and tipped the ball away before diving on the floor to collect the offensive rebound. Before Kyei even got up, she kicked the ball out to Kennedi Williams who swung it to Gray where she broke down her defender off the dribble before stepping back to knock down a big three, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
“I thought our kids played hard, they really did,” said Graves of his team's effort on that play.
“The crowd always gives us a lot of momentum,” Gray said. “Just trying to play as hard as we can.”
That momentum the Ducks built heading into halftime played immediate dividends in the third quarter. Kyei led the way for the Ducks, scoring seven points in the quarter while playing terrific interior defense as the Beavers were held to only points 11 points on 5-14 shooting from the field.
After a VanSlooten steal and layup cut the lead to 41-39 at the end of the third, Kyei turned the ball over on Oregon’s first possession but made up for it by posting up and hitting a layup to tie the game at 41-41 with 9:07 to go. That tie was the first since Oregon State’s Timea Gardiner hit the first three of the game to make it 7-7 with 4:09 left in the first.
The teams continued to trade buckets but the Beavers were always able to stay ahead. After Gray knocked down a three off the dribble, Gardiner answered with a two, keeping the lead at four. The Ducks continued to play great offense, swinging the ball to Ula Chamberlin for a corner three, but again, the Beavers answered with Raegan Beers knocking down a middie to keep the lead at three.
A Chance Gray pull-up in transition cut the lead back down to one, but Oregon followed with a defensive blunder, leaving Lily Hansford wide open for a three, making it a four-point game. When Kyei scored again in the post, the Beavers kept answering, with Hansford knocking down another triple and Beers scoring in the post to make it a seven-point lead with 1:30 left in the game, stealing all of Oregon’s momentum.
“Those are the plays that contributed to them winning the game,” Gray said.
The Ducks scored two more times, making it a three-point game when Kyei was sent to the line with 12 seconds to go. She missed the first and hit the second, and Oregon State was able to put the game away at the free-throw line.
Both teams struggled to score for most of the night before the fourth quarter, combining for more than half of the game’s total points in the final period. Oregon’s defense held the Beavers to 6-of-24 shooting from long range, but every one of those makes seemed to come in the biggest possible moment, sapping the life out of the Ducks as they fought for the upset.
“They can put snipers all over the court, and it’s tough to guard them all.” Graves said of Oregon State’s shooting. “That’s why I give Philly [Kyei] a lot of credit. We can’t give her help on Beers, it’s one-on-one.”
Kyei played great defense on Oregon State’s star forward, Raegan Beers, all night, holding her to 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, well below her season average of 18.8 points on 67.9 percent shooting from the field.
“I’ve been working on it, so I’m definitely ready for any competition,” Kyei said of her defense on Beers.
The Beavers’ bench was ultimately the difference in the contest, as they outscored Oregon’s 34-11. They were led by Gardiner and Hansford who combined for 29 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch. Outside of Oregon’s big three of VanSlooten, Gray, and Kyei, the rest of the Ducks combined for only 15 points while shooting 33 percent from the field.
“I’m actually happy with the 11 because that’s more than we’re typically getting,” Graves said of his team's bench scoring. “But when you’re getting outscored three to one off the bench, that’s big.”
It was a tough weekend for Oregon’s offense against Utah and Colorado, scoring only 48 points in both losses, but they played much better on Sunday night. With Oregon State in a deep drop coverage all night against Oregon’s ball screens, the Ducks were able to get tons of good looks, but their inconsistent shooting once again held them back.
“Just shoot it with confidence and make them step up,” Gray said of facing the Beavers’ drop. “That’s kind of what worked in the second half for me.”
“This is as good an offensive game as we’ve had in conference,” said Graves.
The Ducks were once again without freshman, Sofia Bell, who had started every game this season before suffering an injury last Friday against Utah. She was on the bench again, wearing a boot on her left foot, but Graves wasn’t able to provide any update on the injury postgame.
It won’t get any easier for the Ducks as the ranked matchups continue. They head to the mountains this weekend to take on No. 6 Colorado and No. 20 Utah before returning home to host No. 15 USC and No. 7 USC.
“I’m really proud of the effort,” said Graves. “I keep believing good things are going to happen to this group.”
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