Consistent 3-point shooting has been the Achilles heel for Oregon women’s basketball (20-8, 9-6 Big Ten) this season. The program had few issues finding the bottom of the net in its 76-70 win at Minnesota (19-8, 7-8 Big Ten) on Sunday.
Elisa Mevius could barely miss in the Ducks’ victory, leading the way with 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Alexis Whitfield added 13 points off the bench while Deja Kelly tallied 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Mevius started out the Oregon scoring a minute and a half into the contest with a left-wing triple. It was the only bucket the Ducks scored in the rocky opening five minutes of the game.
The opening period stayed close, but the Gophers held a narrow advantage. Kelly drove to the basket and drew contact to give the Ducks an advantage from the charity stripe with three seconds left in the quarter.
But Oregon’s first-quarter lead was short-lived. The Ducks failed to effectively pressure Minnesota’s offense when Amaya Battle hit a shot from half court as time expired.
Battle’s triple started a Gophers scoring run that carried into the second, while Oregon went on a three-and-a-half-minute scoring drought.
Ari Long checked into the game and resumed the Ducks’ scoring with a much-needed 3-pointer. It was the first of four second-quarter triples and started an 8-0 Oregon run that chipped into the deficit.
Mevius tied the game with a 3-pointer — one of her four baskets in a perfect shooting, 10-point quarter for the junior. Whitfield gave the Ducks a spark off the bench and caused a turnover on the next possession. She scored the bucket on the other end of the floor and Oregon never let its advantage falter from that point on.
The Ducks finished the first half with a stretch of 8-for-9 shooting. They forced six turnovers in that span to create a plethora of fastbreak scoring opportunities.
Minnesota never completely went away. The Gophers scored six-straight points in 30 seconds to cut their deficit to four points with under three minutes remaining in the game.
Oregon iced the game from the line, hitting seven of its 16 free throws in the final three minutes. Sturdy defense caused two Minnesota turnovers in the last 20 seconds to keep any hopes of a comeback out of reach.
The Ducks continue their sprint to the finish line with now three regular season games remaining. They’ll head to Nebraska on Wednesday before returning home for the final time this season to face Rutgers next Sunday.
