On Monday, the No. 21 Oregon Ducks (3-0) won 83-46 against the unranked Southern Jaguars (0-3) in Baton Rouge as part of the Legacy Series. It was Oregon’s first matchup against Southern since 2013. Oregon has now won all three outings.
The backcourt led the way for the Ducks. Endyia Rogers, Ahlise Hurst and Chance Gray all scored in double figures. Phillipina Kyei had a 10 point 10 rebound double-double.
The game started at a sluggish pace which favored Southern. As fouls started to pile up for both teams, the choppiness of the game made it difficult for the Ducks to find their rhythm from behind the arc.
That changed when fifth-year guard Hurst came into the game.
She contributed nine points and three three-pointers off the bench in the second quarter.
Despite an improved second quarter by the Ducks, the Jaguars did a good job of holding an Oregon team that averages 95 points a game to only 38 points in the first half.
However, the Ducks did not leave any room for doubt in the second half. Rogers scored seven straight points for Oregon and forced a Southern turnover to begin an 18-0 start to the third quarter. After leading by only 14 points at the half, the lead had ballooned to 30 entering the fourth quarter.
After the guards made their impact in the first half, the size of Oregon’s frontcourt proved to be too much for the Southern defense to handle in the second half. Southern could not contain the duo of Grace VanSlooten and Kyei and elected to force them to get their points from the free-throw line on multiple occasions.
On the glass, VanSlooten and Kyei were able to put themselves in a position to get offensive rebounds. By the end, VanSlooten and Kyei had combined for 19 rebounds, compared to the 23 rebounds that the entire Jaguars’ roster had.
Both Kyei and VanSlooten have seen their minutes increase since freshman forward Kennedy Basham suffered a knee injury on November 7, in a matchup against Northwestern.
Oregon has started the season 3-0 for the eighth straight year. As the team approaches Pac-12 play in January, it will look to continue to make improvements and solidify its rotation.
The Ducks have nearly a week off before their next game against Southern Utah on November 21 at 6 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.
