Oregon women’s basketball has spent the 2024-25 season proving itself. It proved that it could beat a ranked opponent. It proved that it could string together a winning streak in the Big Ten.
But Sunday provided a new challenge for the Ducks (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) — a chance to hand one of the last three undefeated teams in Division I its first loss.
The opportunity was there for Oregon in the 69-60 defeat to No. 9 Ohio State (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten) on Sunday, but the Ducks couldn’t string together a complete 40 minutes of basketball.
Both sides struggled offensively in the opening five minutes of the game. An Elisa Mevius triple put Oregon on the board and sparked a 9-0 run.
The Ducks defense held the Buckeyes to just eight points on 4-for-21 shooting in the first quarter. It was the first time all season that Ohio State scored single digits in a quarter.
Unfortunately for Oregon, the momentum didn’t carry over into the second quarter. The Buckeyes’ full-court press forced three turnovers in quick succession to help them go on a 27-0 run.
It was deja vu for the Ducks. In December, they faced a top-10 USC (15-1, 5-0 Big Ten) team at Matthew Knight Arena. Despite winning every other quarter, a disastrous 28-6 second period handed Oregon the loss.
On Sunday, the second frame was similarly a complete flip in the script from the first quarter. Oregon shot 3-for-13 from the floor while Ohio State was efficient and hit four attempts from beyond the arc.
Nani Falatea ended the scoring drought with a 3-pointer — but the Ducks would head into the locker room down 39-22.
Taylor Thierry notched 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second, while Jaloni Cambridge added 13 in the contest. Falatea, Deja Kelly and Amina Muhammad all reached double digits for the Ducks.
Oregon started the second half playing much cleaner basketball. It only turned the ball over twice in the period after gifting the Buckeyes the ball seven times in the second. Meanwhile, Ohio State recorded five turnovers in the third.
The Ducks never stopped fighting. They held the Buckeyes to a five-minute scoring drought as they went on another 9-0 run. Oregon simply couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities it had during the Ohio State shooting struggles.
Oregon was within eight points with 49 seconds left and forced a turnover by former Duck Chance Gray. The visiting side drained too much time off the clock and the Buckeyes remained undefeated as the buzzer sounded.
The Ducks now head home for a three-game homestand. They’ll face Purdue (7-9, 0-5 Big Ten) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
