The No. 11 Oregon women’s basketball team fell to the No. 10 Arizona Wildcats in Matthew Knight Arena 79-59 on Monday night. With the loss, the Ducks three-game win streak comes to an end and they drop the season series to Arizona 2-0.
Arizona set the tone early, scoring eight unanswered points. The run was a product of a high-pressured trapping defense that led to steals and points off turnovers. Oregon called an early time-out. Head coach Kelly Graves made a quick sub with Taylor Mikesell replacing Jaz Shelley after only two minutes of action.
Mikesell provided an immediate spark with an and-one floater on her first touch of the game. She followed it up with a lob pass to Lydia Giomi in stride, who finished with a finger roll. Giomi hit another layup as the first quarter’s buzzer sounded, cutting Arizona’s lead to two, 21-19.
The scoring continued for both squads, with forward Cate Reese leading the way for the Wildcats and Nyara Sabally forcing the action for the Ducks. Reese was responsible for Arizona’s first seven points of the second quarter, bumping her total to 14.
The high-octane pace slowed down towards the end of the first half as Te-Hina Paopao missed two shots around the basket. Sabally, however, ended the half on a positive note, as she cut to the basket and dropped in a layup off the pick-and-roll, cutting the Wildcat’s lead to one, 33-32.
Reese continued her dominance in the third quarter, scoring the Wildcats’ first five points. She made her presence known on the perimeter and in the paint. Reese muscled through for a right-hand layup and then knocked down her third three of the ball game on the following possession.
“[Reese] had only hit three threes on the season, and she hit three in this game. The scouting report can only do so much,” head coach Kelly Graves said.
Oregon called a timeout to take Reese out of her rhythm, but it didn’t matter. After the quick break, Reese continued to penetrate the Ducks 2-3 zone defense with incisive cuts. She upped her scoring total to 23, giving the Wildcats an 11-point lead with 2:41 left in the third quarter.
Then, Arizona took its defense to another level with three straight stops. The Wildcats commanded the third quarter on both sides of the ball. They outscored the Ducks by 13 points and took a 60-46 lead into the fourth.
The Wildcats couldn’t miss from deep, continuing to pile onto their lead. Guard Sam Thomas hit twice from deep, extending the lead to 68-50 with seven minutes remaining. The Wildcats never looked back and closed out their dominant victory 79-59.
In the end, the difference for Arizona was its efficient three-ball. They hit 60% of their shots from deep. On the flip side, the Ducks struggled from behind the line, hitting just 20% of their attempts.
Cate Reese tied her season-high in scoring and led all players with 25 points on 11/14 shooting.
“We are suffering from a hodgepodge of covid and injuries, but I am confident we will find continuity before the season’s over,” Graves said.
Up next, the No. 11 Oregon women’s basketball program hosts the California Bears on Friday, Feb. 12 in Matthew Knight Arena.
