The No. 13 Oregon Ducks took down the visiting Washington Huskies 69-52 on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena. With the win, the Ducks completed the sweep of the two Washington schools and found some stability after dropping three of their last five games.
Points were hard to come by early, as both teams struggled from the outside. Washington opened up with the first run, hitting back-to-back triples, but Oregon answered with a full-court trap to create pressure and set a fast tempo.
With Tehina Paopao enforcing the pressure, the Ducks began to force tough shots and turnovers that led to easy buckets in transition. Oregon took control of the game when Sydney Parrish entered the game and knocked down two threes, capping off a 12-0 run that helped the Ducks get out to a 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Ducks found new ways to break down Washington’s 2-3 zone to start out the second quarter. Forward Sedona Prince found space in the mid-post and hit multiple jumpers stretching Oregon’s lead to 26-13.
Although they trailed early, Washington found their footing when Hailey Van Dyke and Tameiya Sadler led a 10-point surge to cut Oregon’s lead to three with one minute remaining in the first half. But the Ducks answered and carried a nine-point lead into the half.
To start the second half, the Ducks doubled their nine-point lead to 18, highlighted by Paopao swiping the ball for a steal on the defensive end and hitting a three on the offensive end. Guard Jaz Shelley also contributed, knocking down her first three of the game.
The Ducks took a 15-point lead into the final quarter of play, looking for one more run to close out the visiting Huskies. That run came immediately, as Parrish continued to leave her mark on the game, converting an and-one three-point play that put the Ducks up 58-41 with five minutes remaining.
After the Ducks extended their lead to 22, the Huskies had one last push in them as they cut the margin back to single-digits. But shortly after, Prince hit her patented mid-post jumper to stop the surge, capping off a 16-point performance and putting the finishing touches on the game.
Forward Lydia Giomi recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, off the bench. Her positive impact showed up with a plus-minus of 17. Parrish was also a star off the bench, as she scored 12 points, and provided a much-needed spark plug.
The Ducks victory included quality contributions from all nine players who played, but in the end, it was the bench that locked up the win. Oregon improved to 11-3 on the season and looks to climb back into the top-10 with a road game against Utah on Friday.
