Dancing is a dangerous word in college basketball.
On Saturday afternoon, though, Oregon women’s basketball looked graceful as it waltzed through a 68-52 conference victory over Wisconsin. Every time the Badgers stretched for an overthrown pass, the Ducks pirouetted through the lane. In a season that had to be a bounce-back for the program that finished last in the Pac-12 in 2023-24, Oregon looks to have found its feet early on.
The Ducks (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) had to do it without their leading scorer, guard Peyton Scott, due to a knee injury that head coach Kelly Graves called “short term.” The senior transfer is averaging 10.9 points per game, the lowest of any full season in her collegiate career, but the most of any starter this year. In her place was Nani Falatea, the guard whose 7.4 points per game rank fourth on the team despite starting just one game before Saturday.
Wisconsin (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten) looked like it had just stepped off the cross-country flight early on. Oregon took full advantage, forcing the Badgers into hopeless shots late into the clock and holding their opponents scoreless until Halle Douglass made a wide-open 3-point effort with nearly five minutes gone. They’d finish with 22 turnovers, eight more than Oregon.
The Badgers rank 267th of 351 teams in 3-point field goals attempted, but heaved up seven efforts from deep in the first quarter in Eugene. The visitors made just two of those shots, both of which were wide-open, and turned the ball over seven times.
Graves opened his press conference by saying, “I’ve been coaching for 11 years now. That was one of the best defensive efforts I think we’ve had in a long time.”
Meanwhile, the Ducks dominated the offensive paint. Graves’ team led the points category 10-4 at the quarter break, and forward Amina Muhammad drove twice deep into the Badger defense to earn and-1 opportunities in the first frame alone. Kelly highlighted the true junior as one of the keys to locking down Badger forward Serah Williams, and as a future first-round draft pick.
Even with Scott missing, Graves was able to reach deep into his bag of guards in order to add points. Deja Kelly’s pull-up ability constantly gets the Ducks out of trouble. Falatea’s scope from range keeps defenses honest. Katie Fiso, Sofia Bell and Elisa Mevius fly around with plays that show up deep in the box score.
“Just being able to be that deep on the bench and have that much production speaks volumes about the types of players we have now,” Kelly said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re starting or coming off the bench — every piece is just as important.”
When Oregon led at the half by 14, the dance was on. Four of the five rostered guards had at least five points, and the constant rotation left space for Muhammad to add 10 of her own on 4-5 shooting. The Ducks held the dynamite forward Williams (19.2 points, 12.1 rebounds in 2024-25) to just three points and zero offensive rebounds in the game. The Badgers’ two highest scorers came from the bench in the first half, and even they stuttered through their routine.
“I think defense is a big part of our identity as a team,” Kelly said, “and so we really take pride in that. Our coach, Jerise (Freeman) has done a really good job implementing different ways we can guard and defend where we can be really aggressive and physical.”
The flaws were there for Oregon: Wisconsin’s 3-point barrage was in part down to the half-dozen occasions a Badger found herself in feet of space with the ball. They’re fixable things though, not structural.
As the Ducks filled out their box score in the second half like a Mad Libs to which they had all of the context, confidence began to grow. Falatea — who put up double-digit points in just her second start of the season — sent the Matthew Knight Arena crowd to “Shout” with a 3-point effort that left the redshirt junior winding across the court with arms outstretched. Duck fans smiled for what felt like the first time in a year. This was easy.
What is becoming apparent about this team is the absolute benefit of its depth and ability. A program that last year relied on a three-player core so absolutely that no other touched double-digit points for an extended period just won decisively in-conference without its top scorer. It feels like there’s room for players to grow into the system without the total pressure of replacing a star.
That’s not to say those like Kelly don’t shine. Oregon’s lights-out guard posted 10 points, four assists and six rebounds, without the pressure of winning the game on her own. Phillipina Kyei (eight points, four rebounds) looks more comfortable with the freedom to find space rather than deal with a crowded paint. Graves can, for once, sit down on the bench. Finally, they’ve found their tempo in Eugene. The goal is obvious. This is just dance practice.
