The No. 8 Oregon Ducks flew past No. 15 Oregon State 79-59 on Sunday night at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.
The last time these two teams met, the Ducks took home the bragging rights with a 66-57 victory over the Beavers. This year’s Ducks squad is far different and much younger, although the score didn’t indicate.
The Ducks began the game with the impactful redshirt sophomore Sedona Prince on the bench. Prince sprained her left ankle against Colorado and missed the Utah matchup, as well as this week’s practices before entering tonight’s game halfway through the first quarter.
Averaging 12.3 points per game, Oregon State sophomore forward Taylor Jones started the game strong, putting the Beavers on the board first.
As the teams battled back and forth to start the game, all eyes were on Ducks guard Taylor Mikesell. The Maryland transfer went 4-of-6 from the three-point line and scored 12 of Oregon’s 21 first-quarter points.
The Ducks kept their momentum from the first quarter as Jaz Shelley hit a three-pointer, widening their lead to 24-11 and forcing Oregon State into calling their first timeout of the second quarter. Jones kept her team in the game as she scored three straight Beaver buckets to respond.
The Duck’s backcourt was the story of the game for head coach Kelly Graves’ squad. Freshman Te-hina Paopao and Mikesell continued to make their shots look effortless, ending the first half with 15 points each.
The Ducks thrived off ball movement in the first half as they entered the break with a 21-point lead. Oregon had 15 assists to Oregon State’s eight. Oregon also created seven turnovers and scored 10 points off of them. After an impressive first half, the Ducks headed into the locker room with a 45-24 lead.
Mikesell scored first for the Ducks in the third quarter. Shortly after, Kelly Graves pulled Paopao off the court after receiving her third personal foul of the game. Taylor Chavez hit a three-point shot for the Ducks, raising them to 52% from deep. The Ducks remained in control as Nyara Sabally hit a layup and Taylor Chavez made another three-pointer. The Beavers answered with back-to-back layups by Savannah Samuel and Sasha Goforth.
Despite the Beavers’ efforts, the Ducks headed into the final quarter with a 67-41 lead over the Beavers.
The Beavers picked it up in the fourth quarter. Paopao continued to add to the Ducks lead and her career high of 22 points with 5:41 left in the final quarter. Mikesell finished with 21 points and was the only other Duck to reach double digits.
The Ducks’ win marks their third straight win against the Beavers and extends their program record to 24 consecutive wins, dating back to the 2019-20 season.
The Oregon Ducks will head up north to take on the Washington Huskies on Saturday, Dec. 19, in Seattle.