Oregon women’s basketball head coach Kelly Graves walked off the court with a Texas-sized strut after a 70-60 over Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament down in Austin.
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To his right was Katie Fiso, a burgeoning sophomore guard, and the best player on the court in another high-stakes game against legitimate power four competition. To his left was Ehis Etute, a player Graves lauded as “Luxembourg Barkley” — after Charles — due to her rebounding ability and toughness in the paint.
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They are both sophomores, crown jewels of a recruiting class from two years ago when Graves’ program was at a nadir after posting an 11-21 record.
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Then imagine Graves having to bottle all that excitement up because an even greater challenge is coming the Ducks’ way after a win over the No. 9-seeded Hokies — a likely matchup with No.1 Texas and All-American  forward Madison Booker.
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It’s a price Graves will happily pay because his Ducks, as they have all season, fought through injury, attrition, and, for some members, inexperience, to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many years.
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Fiso was the author of all of Oregon’s best moments, finishing with 22 points on a whopping 9-12 shooting. Sofia Bell, although held scoreless, was magnificent as well, bottling up Virginia Tech’s Carleigh Wetzel (15.9 PPG) to just nine points on 2-12 shooting.
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Oregon won the first and third quarters by a combined 19 points, and went on an 18-0 run at the beginning of the second half. Anchoring it all was Etute, who finished with an 11-point double-double — her fifth straight — with six offensive rebounds.
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Fiso was Oregon’s biggest proponent for success, limiting misses at the rim, scoring efficiently from outside  and, more importantly, turning the ball over just once in 35 minutes as Oregon’s lead ball handler.
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Jacobs, who is now fully healthy after a late-season injury, went 3-4 from 3-point range and helped slow down the Hokies’ bigger forwards.
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After a slow start offensively, Virginia Tech’s best chance to come back came in the second quarter when Mel Daley’s pull-up jumper capped off a 9-0 run. After that, though, it was pretty much all downhill for the Hokies.
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Outside of Tech’s Carys Baker having a 15-point, 14-rebound day, the Hokies struggled to gain any rhythm offensively and struggled with Oregon’s switchable, athletic defenders.
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Virginia Tech grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second-chance points, but finished a lackluster 8-27 on layups and shot just 31% from the field.
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Although Virginia Tech did not substitute until very late in the fourth quarter, Graves was able to empty his bench, allowing Sarah Barhoum and Janiya Williams to enter in their first Tournament game.
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The Ducks have now won three of four postseason games dating back to the Big Ten Tournament. Texas plays No.16-seeded Missouri State this afternoon. Oregon will play the winner of that game on Sunday in Austin.