PORTLAND — With just a little more than two minutes left in an Oregon win over Texas Christian on Saturday at the Rose Garden, junior Alissa Edwards nailed a three from above the arc, putting the Ducks ahead 68-52.
Edwards’ basket, although helpful, didn’t put Oregon ahead for good and didn’t take any momentum away from the Horned Frogs. Instead, it was just a microcosm of the success the Ducks enjoyed from the three-point line, something that ultimately led them to their second win of the young season.
“I don’t think it was the key,” junior Shaquala Williams said. “But the three-pointers helped.”
After shooting only 23.8 percent from beyond the three-point line in their first three games, the Ducks (2-2 overall) established the long distance portion of their offense early. Within the first three minutes of the first half, senior Edniesha Curry sank one from beyond the NBA three-point line, and followed that 20 seconds later with another.
Not to be outdone, Williams knocked one in from
downtown a minute after Curry’s second, putting Oregon ahead for good at 13-4.
“At one point, we were trading twos for threes,” TCU head coach Jeff Mittie said. “And you can’t do that.”
At the end of the first half, the Ducks shot 44.4 percent from downtown, setting the pace for what would later open up the Ducks’ inside game. Freshman Andrea Bills, after scoring only two points in the first half, penalized the TCU defense for eight points late in the second half.
The Horned Frogs (2-1 overall) out-rebounded the Ducks by two, 38-36, but it was Oregon’s ability to play an up-tempo offense off a quick transition that led to the wide-open looks.
“Our execution both offensively and defensively enabled us to shoot well, be comfortable and not be so tight,” Curry said.
Curry led the Ducks with four three-pointers, and Williams and Edwards pitched in with two of their own. Overall, the Ducks were 8-of-18 from beyond the arc and established a part of their game that was sorely lacking before the Papé Jam. Without a dominant inside force that it has had in the past, Oregon’s three-point shooting becomes more important this season.
“We didn’t force the threes and really got some good penetration,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “(We) move the ball so we spread them and now we can use some of our quickness to penetrate. When we kick it, we have people sliding and getting some rhythm, and when you’re a shooter, that’s very important.”