Sometimes you just have to take the win and move on.

That was the position Oregon women’s basketball (4-1) found itself in Sunday afternoon during its 8-55 win over Army (3-1), with the Ducks hardly looking like an unstoppable Big Ten power against a team from the Patriot League. 

“Army’s a good basketball team,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said. “They’ve got a chance to win that Patriot League.” 

For most of the 80-55 win, the Ducks looked far from a team that will be able to contend with elite talent in just a few weeks time. 

The game was never really in danger, not with Oregon outscoring the Black Knights 26-13 in the fourth quarter, but it was the Ducks’ inability to play four quarters of complete basketball to the top of their ability that raised significant questions going forward. 

Can they create quality 3-point opportunities for their shooters? Can they effectively guard bigger guards consistently? And perhaps most pressing, can they rely on Amina Muhammad and Sofia Bell for shot creating and scoring outside of fixtures Sarah Rambus, Katie Fiso and Mia Jacobs?

Long term, those questions will continue to be prevalent, but on Sunday, the Ducks were 1-0 and won steadily against what Graves categorized as a quality opponent. That’s the only takeaway that mattered to them.

“I really like the Army team, I like their staff,” Graves said. “I like everything they stand for.” 

Still, it’s concerning that Oregon was only able to generate 13 shots from beyond the arc, and make just one in the first half. Against better teams, making just one shot from 3-point range in the first half won’t be good enough. After all, better shots and efficiency aren’t suddenly going to appear against better Big Ten competition. 

If Oregon looked like an incomplete team, it is because of the absence of Elisa Mevius, whose consistency as a senior guard and tenacity on the defensive end continue to be missed. Ari Long, in her second game starting in Mevius’ place, had two points and three rebounds. 

“None of her numbers are going to stand out to you,” Graves said of Long. “She played a really great floor game.” 

Kya Smith scored 20 points to lead Army, which had found easy success on the perimeter, firing 24 3-pointers but connecting just seven times. 

Army rallied back within 10 points numerous times, with Graves forced to utilize his timeouts to reset before the Ducks regained a comfortable lead. 

Poor shooting from Army and a sizable turnover differential (24-15 in favor of Oregon) kept the game from getting close, despite the Black Knights batting back to come within 10 in the second half. 

“I liked how we executed down the stretch,” Graves said. 

Graves was pleased with his team’s defensive effort throughout, with the 24 turnovers a high amount for what he described as a “disciplined” Army team. 

The Black Knights ran out of gas late, with the Ducks building their lead to 25 and moving the game way out of reach. 

The Ducks will take on Washington State in Pullman, Wash. at 4 p.m. on Nov 19.