At times, the Oregon women’s basketball has struggled to produce a complete game on both sides of the floor throughout the season and Thursday’s 76-65 loss to Stanford was no different.
The Ducks showed plenty of grit in the second half, crawling within single digits, but a first half in which they shot 6-of-30 from the field determined the outcome. Now their NCAA tournament hopes are outside of their control.
The Ducks were coming off a 52-50 comeback win against Washington the previous night. Endyia Rogers led the team with 28 points and 11 rebounds in that game.
On Thursday, Cameron Brink led Stanford with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Te-Hina Paopao, who has averaged 21.4 points in the last five games, continued her streaky form with 28 points, and an Oregon record of seven three-pointers in a Pac-12 tournament game.
The shots were not falling for Oregon in the first half. It did not get on the board until nearly four minutes into the game on a bucket from Grace VanSlooten.
The Ducks fared well defensively in the first quarter, but they struggled to find the bottom of the net. Stanford led 16-9 after a low-scoring quarter.
The Cardinal increased their lead to double digits in the second quarter. They looked like they were going to run away with the game, but Paopao drained a three to go into the half with momentum.
Stanford led 37-24. It seemed as if Rogers could not carry over her rhythm from the previous game. She only scored two points on 1-of-13 shooting from the field in the first half.
With Stanford’s Brink going to the bench early in the third with three fouls, the Ducks went on a run. Rogers found her shot, scoring eight points in the quarter.
“I kept shooting regardless of a rough first half,” Rogers said. “You just got to keep going.”
Oregon cut the deficit down to six, but Stanford got it back to double digits once Brink was inserted back into the lineup.
It was Stanford who hit a critical three this time to end the quarter and regain control of the game.
The Ducks kept fighting in the fourth, but it was not enough. Stanford held on for the victory.
Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer had high praise for Oregon following the matchup.
“I think they’re deserving of playing in the NCAA Tournament,” she said. “I think we should have eight teams in, including Oregon.”
The Ducks NCAA Tournament hopes are now in the hands of the selection committee. They will have to wait until the selection show on March 12 to find out.
