The Ducks pulled to within seven points of No. 12 Arizona State in the second half, but couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to the Sun Devils 72-52 on Sunday afternoon.
Oregon’s falls to 12-13, 5-9 Pac-12.
Jillian Alleyne recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Lexi Petersen had 12 points and six rebounds, while Drea Toler added eight points.
“The difference was the defense,” Alleyne said. “We played a lot harder in the second half, but we just didn’t get the defensive stops we needed.”
ASU put together a 14-2 run in the first half to take the lead, before a Katelyn Loper three stopped the run. After an exchange of buckets, ASU went on an 8-0 run to open its lead up to 31-17, their largest lead of the half.
“At this point, we’ve gotten better each week,” Petersen said. “Even though we lost today, I feel like there’s so much we can take out of it and there’s so much we can learn from.?
At the half, ASU held the advantage, 39-25.
Coming into today, ASU was tied for third in the conference standings.
“We thought we could come in and get these guys,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “We really did. To me, that’s a win. The reality is that we’re not where they’re at. We’re just not. They’re ranked where they are for a reason.”
The Sun Devils had nine players score in the first half.
“They’re a great example of it doesn’t have to be about stars,” Graves said. “They’re a just blue collar team that knows how to play and play hard.”
The Ducks created an 8-2 run in the early minutes of the second half, to pull to within 44-37 on a jumper from Petersen with 12:36 remaining, the Ducks’ smallest deficit of the second half.
ASU would go on to put together a 10-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws from Promise Amukamara. She finished with 16 points, including 12 in the second half. Katie Hempen added 13 more for ASU.
“Losses always hurt, but I think they’re starting to hurt a bit little more” Petersen said. “I think we’re competing with the teams a little more now and really giving it our all. … When you give it your all, it hurts a little more, I think.”
Notes: Jillian Alleyne’s double-double is the 64th of her career. Bev Smith holds the UO record with 88. … The Ducks were 1-of-12 from three-point range compared to ASU’s mark of 7-of-16. … Alleyne was 8-of-8 from the field as was 7-of-8 against Arizona. … The Ducks were out-rebounded 42-29.
Up next, the Ducks will hit the road for games against Utah and Colorado.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
