The Oregon Ducks (11-13, 2-8 Pac-12) trailed the Colorado Buffaloes (20-3, 10-2 Pac-12), but were able to stay within striking distance for most of the first half. However, that all changed with about a minute and a half remaining in the second quarter.
Maddie Nolan scored 11 straight points for the Buffaloes in the final seconds of the quarter to push the halftime deficit for the Ducks to 18 points. From there, Colorado never looked back in its rout of Oregon.
The Ducks were able to keep up with the Buffaloes throughout the first quarter. Phillipina Kyei and Ula Chamberlin scored seven and six points in the quarter. Despite the hot start, Oregon still trailed 22-16 at the end of the quarter.
Nine players touched the floor for Colorado in the first quarter, and all of them scored in an incredibly balanced scoring attack. No specific Buffalo hurt the Ducks, but the whole team was able to secure the lead in the first.
Chamberlin continued her hot shooting in the second quarter, making her third 3-pointer of the game to give her nine quick points. Her scoring outburst was enough to keep Oregon afloat despite cold starts from Chance Gray and Grace VanSlooten. Despite the Ducks finally getting scoring from players outside of their typical big-three of Kyei, VanSlooten and Gray, Colorado began to pull away in the second quarter.
Nolan for the Buffaloes caught fire at the end of the first half. She scored the final 11 points of the second quarter for Colorado, including making three straight 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. She finished the first half with 16 points. During that run, the Ducks were only able to muster two points of their own. The Buffaloes were able to ride their hot streak into halftime with a 49-31 advantage.
Oregon was led by Chamberlin’s nine points in the first half, followed by the seven points of Kyei and six points from VanSlooten.
Colorado’s ball movement proved to be too much for Oregon in the first half. The Buffaloes had 19 assists on their 20 made shots. The ability of Colorado to pass up good shots for great shots was a major factor in their ability to build a double-digit lead over the Ducks.
The second half started in a similar way to how the first half ended. The Buffaloes’ offense continued to be too much for the Oregon defense to handle, and the lead ballooned over 20 points early in the second half. The Ducks’ offense began to struggle, the extent of which was only exacerbated by the incredible showing from Colorado.
The Buffaloes’ third quarter was a display of efficient offense exploiting every hole in Oregon’s defense. Colorado made 12 of its 17 shots in the quarter on its way to a 29-point showing. On the other side, the Ducks scored just 14 points, making their deficit 78-45 heading into the final quarter.
Part of the difference in the third quarter was a massive rebounding advantage by the Buffaloes in the quarter. Colorado grabbed 12 rebounds and Oregon was only able to muster five. Giving the Buffaloes second chances on offense, and not earning many second chances of their own meant the Ducks were struggling to keep up with the offensive opportunities that Colorado had.
The Buffaloes’ offense finally started to slow down in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Oregon, it was much too little, much too late. It didn’t help the Ducks that their offense also fell flat during the same stretch. Despite allowing just 12 points in the final quarter, Oregon was only able to muster 11 of its own as Colorado coasted over the finish line.
The leading scorers in the game for the Ducks were VanSlooten, who had 16 points, and Chamberlin recorded a season-high 13 points.
