Phillipina Kyei took over the game for the Ducks late in the fourth quarter. Although the game already seemed out of reach for the Southern University Jaguars, three layups on four possessions for Kyei, including one off of an offensive rebound, put Oregon up 65-37 with just over two minutes left in the game. The most notable part of the run was the offensive rebound. It was Kyei’s 21st in the game, setting a new career-high in a 67-37 win for Oregon.
The Ducks opened the scoring in the contest with a layup inside from Kennedy Basham. After a couple blocks on the defensive end, Oregon continued its momentum from deep on a Chance Gray three-point shot, setting the tone offensively early. Some aggressive inside play by Grace VanSlooten and Kyei helped the Ducks take an early 10-2 lead. Two more three-pointers from Gray on back-to-back possessions brought the Oregon lead to double-digits.
“Just shooting it with confidence,” Gray said about what helped her get off to the hot start. “Just being ready to shoot. Catch it, look to shoot first or score first.”
However, both teams fell ice-cold to end the quarter, with the only points in the final three minutes came on a pair of free throws from VanSlooten with a second left in the quarter. The Ducks led 18-8 at the end of one.
Sofia Bell broke the field goal drought with her first three-pointer since the loss against Baylor early in the second quarter. The Jaguars responded with a three-pointer of their own, bringing the score to 23-11 in favor of Oregon. The Ducks were able to string together a couple very strong defensive possessions, highlighted by a monster block by Kyei. However, Oregon was unable to extend the lead by too much on the other end.
The Ducks steadily increased their lead, although without any significant runs. However, Oregon seemed perfectly content with trading baskets with a slight advantage. Once again, both teams struggled to get any offense towards the end of the quarter as only two field goals, one for each team, were made in the final three minutes. This advantaged the Ducks who were able to keep SU from cutting into the lead. Oregon led 36-19 at halftime.
Neither team was able to either extend the lead or cut it. Through the first six minutes of the third quarter the Ducks still led by 17 points. The interior play by Kyei, both her paint scoring and rebounding, helped Oregon through its dry spells.
“She’s selfish with those rebounds, and that’s a great way to be selfish,” Kelly Graves, head coach of the Ducks, said about Kyei’s play over the weekend. “I’m just proud of her development.”
A string of layups from the Ducks came from many different players as Oregon tried to continue building the lead. However, every basket from the Ducks had an answer on the other end from the Jaguars as the lead stayed relatively consistent at 17 points. The score was 50-33 at the end of the third quarter of play.
The fourth quarter saw Oregon string together multiple defensive stops to start building the lead up again, and finally put the game out of reach. Kyei scored a layup to make this the fourth straight game that she has recorded a double-double. A Kennedi Williams three-pointer and Gray jumpshot added to a 9-0 Oregon run to make the score 59-35 with just under six minutes left in the game. Kyei went on a 6-2 run by herself, which included her career-high 21st rebound. The Ducks held SU to just four points in the final quarter in the 67-37 victory.
“We just have to finish games out,” Gray said about the strong play in fourth quarters over the weekend. “There’s going to be a lot of games down to the wire, so doing that now is only going to help us way more in the future. We’re just building that mentality now so that we can close games out on a good note every game we play.”
The Ducks were once again led by their big three of VanSlooten, Kyei and Gray. The three combined for 46 of the 67 Oregon points.
The Ducks have a bit of a break after their full slate before they take on the UTSA Roadrunners on Sunday Dec. 17.
