Oregon women’s basketball found itself in the heart of the Palouse Friday night as it faced off against Washington State, winning 70-69 at Beasley Coliseum.
After a back-and-forth affair for most of the night, everything came down to the final 8.5 seconds.
WSU (13-9, 4-7 Pac-12) had the ball trailing Oregon (11-11, 4-7 Pac-12) by a single point and the chance to snatch the victory. Cougar guard Lia Galdeira was able to get a look at the basket, but she was unable to convert her layup, losing the game.
The standout performer of the evening was Oregon star junior forward Jillian Alleyne. Fresh off being named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week, Alleyne was able to collect big numbers against the Cougars. She dominated both ends of the court, finishing with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
Fittingly, she was the one who grabbed the loose ball after the missed Cougar layup.
Alleyne’s double-double was her 20th of the year and 61st of her career.
Unlike some of their previous games this season, the Ducks got off to a scorching start. The game was even at 13 apiece with 11:21 to go until halftime, thanks in large part to the Duck’s hot shooting from deep.
In the first half Oregon shot 5-8 from downtown, a stat that would help carry them through the rest of the game. The Ducks finished the night shooting 47.6 percent from three.
The halftime score was 37-30 Oregon.
WSU came out of the break on a tear, refusing to cede the contest that easily. The Cougars nailed a couple of quick threes of their own to cut the Oregon to just two points.
Cougar forward Mariah Cooks and Galdeira had the best performances for the home team. Cooks finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Galdeira had a team-high 20 points.
Every time WSU seemed like it would retake the lead, Oregon was able to counter with a defensive stop or timely basket.
The Ducks were able to keep the ball moving on offense, avoiding the stagnation of ball movement that plagued them earlier in the season. Starting point guard Drea Toler had a big hand in her team’s success, finishing with eight assists.
Though Oregon was able to claim the win, missed free throws down the stretch kept things closer than it should have been. The Ducks shot just 40 percent from the charity stripe.
This was the second meeting between the two schools this season. The first was on Jan. 18 at Matthew Knight Arena, another close contest that ultimately ended in a Cougar victory.
Oregon will conclude its road trip Sunday as it takes on Washington in Seattle. The game is slated to begin at 6 p.m.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur