It’s about depth, even in November. In a game that mimicked a March turnaround, Oregon (6-2) couldn’t turn around its first loss and dropped a second-consecutive game to South Dakota State (4-2) 75-70 in Hawai’i. A poor shooting performance from beyond the arc, where the Ducks made just one of 11, compounded tired legs as the Ducks travel home winless from their trip.
On a 24-hour turnaround from the program’s first loss of the season, Oregon head coach Kelly Graves handed in a changed lineup card: Out went Alexis Whitfield, Phillipina Kyei and Sofia Bell in favor of Nani Falatea, Sarah Rambus and Ehis Etute. Star guards Deja Kelly and Peyton Scott started their second game in as many days.
The Jackrabbits, who also endured a tough loss to Georgia Tech in Hawaii, had extra time off between showings and made just one change: Kallie Theisen in for Mesa Byom.
Etute (8 points, but fouled out), who made her debut against Georgia Tech, played the first two minutes and grabbed a basket before exiting for Amina Muhammad. As more regular starters entered, though, tired bodies seemed an issue. At one point, the Ducks went three minutes and six shots without a point from the field in the first quarter.
Graves began to rotate, though, and by the end of the quarter, Oregon was six-for-seven on its last seven shots and had points from seven players. Only Kelly (19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), who played 30 minutes on Monday night, played without respite in the first frame. The graduate transfer ended the half with 10 points in 18 minutes.
A four-minute 9-0 Jackrabbit run with seven turnovers for the Ducks — Oregon would end the half with 11 — left them trailing by four points at the half despite sitting in the bonus for nearly the last seven minutes of the quarter and shooting 52% from the field (50% from beyond the arc).
Graves’ group averages just 14 turnovers per game, while SDSU gives it away 13 times per game. The teams combined for 23 in the first half. It didn’t matter that they were on fire — both shot over 50% from the floor before the break. They couldn’t stop giving it away, and the Jackrabbits nearly doubled (13-7) the Ducks’ points off those free possessions.
Out of the locker room, though, the Ducks didn’t surge. Kelly bettered her full-game total with the first points of the half, but with Kyei and Etute in foul trouble, the Oregon bench was once again tested. The script flipped by the end of the third frame, and the Ducks turned it over just twice, shot 43% from the field but trailed by 5.
It finally looked to have clicked in the fourth. Muhammad and Whitfield opened up the quarter with back-to-back buckets to cut the margin to just one. Kelly held the margin with a jumper, and nearly gave the Ducks their first lead of the half a minute later but was called for a contentious charge. She turned it around on the way back down the floor, though, and grabbed a tenacious and-one layup to draw Oregon even. Mevius was next to end a two-minute drought from the floor: 64-64.
The Ducks, however, would only put up six points in the final 2:44. They drew as close as two points with 25 seconds left, but couldn’t make it count. Peyton Scott (2 points, 1-8 FG) missed Oregon’s 11th 3-point effort of the day, and the Jackrabbits walked it out.
As Oregon travels back to Eugene ahead of a matchup with Washington State at Matthew Knight Arena on Dec. 4, they’ll await the AP Poll. The Ducks entered the week ranked 21st on the back of wins over No. 12 Baylor and Auburn, but could likely drop out after failing to win on the road.
