Oregon Ducks (11-5, 3-1 Pac-12) Defeat The Washington Huskies (5-6, 0-3 Pac-12) In A Thriller

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team came away tonight with a victory tonight in Seattle, 68-61 - a score that belies the nail-biter that this game was. It was NOT over until it was over.

The Ducks traded shots with the Huskies early on, and they were challenged - as all teams that play Washington are - by the play of Nancy Mulkey, the Washington senior transfer from Rice University. While the Ducks shot well early on, as the game continued they struggled with their offense amid a stingy Washington defense. Aggressive play on the part of Oregon saw Te-Hina Paopao commit two fouls early, and she was forced to sit the back part of the first period and part of the second period.

After Oregon pulled ahead 19-15, The Huskies went on a 8-0 run to eventually take a 29-25 lead. The Ducks snapped out of their doldrums, though, and ended the first half with a 9-0 run to go into halftime up 34-30.

The third period started much like the first period with both teams trading buckets. Oregon’s offensive output went cold, and the Huskies were able to tie 43-43 before Oregon again claimed the lead. They were able to hold the lead to a 51-47 edge at the end of the third period. Regardless of the back-and-forth, Oregon and Washington tied points in the second and third period, with 15 each and 17 each in those periods.

In the fourth period, Washington clawed back to within a point of the Ducks but could never seem to quite cross that threshold. Meanwhile, the Ducks found both their best defense of the game along with better shooting in the final two minutes to take the victory home.

Endiya Rogers’ play has been improving game by game, and tonight the Oregon Ducks rode on her shoulders for the win. Rogers led the Ducks with 14 points in the first half before finishing with 23 points, including 3 3-pointers that always seemed to hit at just the right time. Nyara Sabally played a very strong second half, ending the game with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Chanaya Pinto and Phillipina Kyei contributed valuable minutes on offense and defense when they were in the game, and helped the Ducks considerably when the Ducks were stalling. The Ducks had a sub-par night from the field, shooting 41% with 27% on threes, but did well in shooting 80% on the line tonight.

The Washington Huskies were led by Lauren Schwartz with 18 points. Missy Peterson finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds, and Nancy Mulkey rounded out their top three with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.

When all is said and done, a win is a win. You can take a breath now.

This is the 9th win in a row over the Huskies, and the 6th in a row in Seattle. Oregon now stands at 11-5, 3-1 in Pac-12 play.

Originally we would have been slated to play Washington State on Sunday, but the Cougars are under Covid protocol and that game has been postponed. Oregon’s next game will be an early tipoff at 11:00 am on Wednesday 1/26/22 in Eugene, against a plucky Utah team.

GO DUCKS!