In a game that only felt like March because of the date, Oregon women’s basketball was unable to push through many of the shortcomings that might consign this team to a short postseason.
Spotty guard play led to a turnover spree and a flurry of missed jump shots. All while Indiana (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) seemingly couldn’t miss.
Even with so many things working against them — not to mention a “neutral site” game less than an hour from Indiana’s campus — the Ducks (19-11, 10-9 Big Ten) found themselves within six in the third quarter of their 78-62 Big Ten Tournament loss to the Hoosiers.
That’s when the bedrock of Oregon’s success this season fell through when it mattered most.
The Ducks couldn’t get defensive stops over the final minutes of the loss to the No. 9 seeded Hoosiers. The defeat continued another troublesome trend of late slippage for a team once ranked among the best in the country.
Any chance of the Ducks’ first postseason win in two years slipped away when eight second-half turnovers compounded into a long scoring drought.
Indiana will advance to face No.1 seed USC. It’s the Hoosiers’ 10th-straight year reaching the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Indiana will look to dial up more of what gave it success on Thursday. Keyed by Yarden Garzon (18 points, 4-7 from 3) The Hoosieers finished the game an impressive 11-25 from range. Indiana is 9-0 this season when hitting 10-or-more 3’s.
Peyton Scott and Ehis Etute tallied 16 and 14 points respectively, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the start of the game — one that couldn’t have gone any worse for the Ducks.
Indiana was 5-10 from 3 before Oregon had even attempted a shot from range.
The Ducks kept things close by starting to settle in on offense, they even trailed by as few as six after Deja Kelly’s jumper rattled in with three minutes left in the third.
But Indiana went on a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter and Oregon went scoreless for over four minutes — two caveats that helped the score become as lopsided as it was.
Compounding her team’s problems, Kelly played poorly throughout. She finished the game 2-11 from the field and was a non-factor down the stretch.
But a far bigger issue was the defense, which has gone from a constant to a serious question mark with the absence of Elisa Mevius — who had season-ending hand surgery. Indiana’s 3-point shooting built the lead, and the Ducks’ lackluster offense and turnovers helped solidify the blowout.
The good news for the Ducks? Oregon is still a sure-thing entrant into the NCAA Tournament. Even with the loss, a 10 or 11 seed seems likely for the Ducks who will find out their fate on March 16.
