Oregon women’s basketball was back in action Saturday night as UC Davis came into town. The Ducks’ played their first game back since pausing all team activities on January 29 during which they had three conference games postponed.
UC Davis entered Eugene undefeated at 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big West conference, having won four consecutive conference titles in the past four years.
The No. 12 ranked Ducks handed the Aggies their first loss of the season, 63-57.
“We had to gut that out, and give UC Davis some credit,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said. “They’re good, they’re legit and everybody knows that.”
In its first game back since January 24, Oregon showed some rust from the time away. Without guards Maddie Scherr and Taylor Chavez, the Ducks missed easy putbacks, committed careless turnovers and miscommunicated on defense.
On the other hand, the Aggies came out firing, hitting five threes in the first quarter, compared to Oregon’s lone bucket from beyond the arc from Erin Boley.
In the second quarter, Te-Hina Paopao got caught staring at the ball and Davis’ Kayla Konrad scored for an easy backdoor layup.
Down 25-19 in the second quarter, small mistakes started adding up for Oregon. They didn’t make clean post passes, didn’t sprint back on defense and didn’t check cutters through the paint — uncharacteristic of Oregon’s sharp offense.
On the offensive end, the Ducks continued to lack poise. Lazy passes, unforced turnovers and lack of ball movement contributed to their early deficit. The Ducks were fortunate to be all tied up at the half, 25-25. Led by Boley’s seven points and six rebounds, the Ducks were outplayed by the more aggressive Aggies.
Just when it looked as if Oregon was going on a run, the Aggies immediately responded. Early in the third quarter, UC Davis hit three three-pointers in a row, forcing the Ducks to call a fast timeout.
“In transition defense, we weren’t picking up the right people, and they made three threes right in a row to build a nice lead,” Graves said. “We had to chip away the rest of the game until we finally took control.”
A quick four points from Sedona Prince gave Oregon a slim lead, but the Aggies had an answer.
Aggies’ Evanne Turner hit three threes and Konrad with two in the third quarter alone gave them a cushion to sustain their lead.
Boley was Oregon’s sole leader that kept them close in the second half with her rebounding and seven points in the third quarter alone.
“She brought it tonight, and it was important,” Graves said. “She looked relatively healthy tonight. She’s been battling a bad back and I think the pause, in a strange sort of way, was a blessing for her.”
The Ducks then had one quarter to turn it around.
Nyara Sabally, who sat out for most of the third quarter, gave the Ducks a three-point lead with an explosive seven points in a minute and a half.
“In a game like this, she’s just got to come out big,” Graves said. “I’m sorry, but she’s just got to say, ‘I’m the best player out here and I have to show it.’ I thought there in that fourth quarter, she was definitely the best.”
As they did the entire game, the Aggies had an answer. After erasing the Ducks five-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Aggies pushed their way through on offense with easy points in the paint.
However, the Aggies didn’t have an answer for Sabally.
Sabally scored 13 out of the Ducks 16 points in the final quarter, including a three-point dagger with two minutes left.
“Honestly, I don’t know if we would’ve won the game without that lift from her — it was crucial,” Boley said. “We know she’s capable of that.”
In the fourth, Oregon needed most what they lacked in the first half: poise.
With one minute left, the Ducks were up by seven after a Prince layup and a couple of free throws. All they needed to do was take care of the ball. 61-54 Ducks.
UC Davis’ Turner hit a corner three that pulled the Aggies within four with 32 seconds left, giving them a chance to reach within a single possession. Sydney Parrish capped off the Ducks win with a crucial rebound and clutch free throws in the final seconds.
Oregon finished with a narrow 63-57 victory and prevented the Aggies from reaching their first victory against a ranked team.
Next up on the schedule for Oregon is a redemption game against No. 9 Arizona at home on Monday, followed by matchups against California and Stanford.
Follow Carly on Twitter @carlyebisuya.
