Oregon’s women’s basketball team put forth one of its better efforts of the Pacific-10 Conference season but fell 75-66 to visiting Arizona State in front of 2,207 fans at Matthew Knight Arena Thursday.
The Ducks came back from a 17-point first-half deficit and took a lead as large as six points in the second half, but the Sun Devils regained the advantage with 5:06 to go and held on for the victory.
“They slowed us down,” Oregon guard Ariel Thomas said. “We got rattled by their defense in the first half, but in the second half we played with fire and got our fast pace going.”
The loss dropped Oregon to 13-15, (4-13 Pac-10) and improved Arizona State’s record to 18-9 (10-7).
Amanda Johnson and Thomas led the Ducks with 19 and 18 points, respectively, while Kimberly Brandon and Dymon Simon topped the Sun Devils with 20 and 17.
Despite dropping their 11th game in 13 chances, the Ducks played well at times. Oregon has had a difficult time coming back from large deficits in past games against upper-echelon Pac-10 teams, but this time, the Ducks made a strong second half run to get back in the game.
“We came out tentative tonight because they are a very aggressive team,” Johnson said. “But then we came out with some intensity and aggression.”
Trailing by double digits at halftime, Kristi Fallin, who chipped in 13 points for the Ducks, made three pointers on back-to-back possessions to trim Arizona State’s lead to 45-39. A few possessions later, Thomas made a layup to cut the deficit to four.
The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes before Thomas hit two free throws to reduce the Sun Devils’ lead to 54-52. A little over thirty seconds later, Thomas tied the score at 54 on a jumper.
Oregon’s run didn’t end there. After both teams had a few empty trips, Johnson hit a three to give the Ducks a 57-54 advantage, and Danielle Love hit a longball of her own to extend Oregon’s lead to 60-54.
However, that’s the largest the Ducks’ lead would get. Arizona State went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:50 to take a 64-60 lead of their own. The Sun Devils, behind seven points from Brandon in the game’s final three minutes, were able to close the contest with made free throws and well-executed offense.
“They got some key offensive boards and drew fouls in the last minutes,” Johnson said. “(Kimberly) Brandon also scored two three-pointers that were key to their win as well.”
In the first half, the Sun Devils had their way with Oregon. Arizona State forced 17 Ducks turnovers and jumped to a 25-7 lead en route to a 37-26 halftime advantage, but the Ducks came out strong to begin the second half and make a game of it.
“We didn’t come out with energy in the first half,” Johnson said. “It’s very frustrating to have that. In the second half I just tried to come out with energy and passion.”
On the evening, Oregon shot 49 percent from the field, Arizona State 43. The Ducks also claimed a rare edge in rebounding (34-29), but the game’s final margin was determined by the Sun Devils’ significant advantage on the free throw line (Arizona State made 16 to Oregon’s eight) and in the turnover department (the Ducks committed 24 to Arizona State’s 12).
“We knew (defensive pressure) was coming,” Oregon head coach Paul Westhead said. “We needed to handle it better.”
Oregon will close out its regular season tomorrow afternoon on Senior Night. Tipoff against visiting Arizona is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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