They didn’t have to come from behind. Sure, they trailed at points, but not by much. Matthew Knight Arena was on its feet, but not for any sort of tension — just for its senior stars after it was all-but-over. It was just a game, one where Oregon women’s basketball (19-9) eased past Rutgers (10-18), 77-58 on senior day.
Nothing unusual about that.
It’s the beginning of the end for a team Frankensteined together from the remains of one of Oregon’s worst seasons in recent memory. Add experience. Sprinkle in returning youth. Get…a team that can win comfortably on its day?
It looked easy as the Ducks’ stars pushed them past the Scarlet Knights. Phillipina Kyei etched herself in Oregon history with a 20-point, 25-rebound double-double (one of just four Ducks in Oregon history to do so). Deja Kelly brought closure to a strong one-year stay in Eugene with 19 points of her own. The Ducks finished the year with a 15-3 home record and move onto the postseason with confidence.
“From day one,” Peyton Scott (15 points) said, “we talked about how deep and how versatile we are. It was never like we’re stepping on each other’s toes, or like we felt like we couldn’t be ourselves…ultimately, that’s why we’re getting the products we are right now.”
Kyei, the four-year Oregon center, was recognized in pregame as she returned to Matthew Knight Arena for the first time since she grabbed her 1,000th career rebound against Minnesota.
It was fitting, then, that the game’s first 14 points were scored from the paint — four of which came from Kyei. Oregon would finish the first quarter with 10 of its 14 points from there, too. It was just the start of her domination.
“It was a great day, a very emotional day for me, and I was so happy that everyone was here to witness it,” Kyei said.
Beyond that, the Ducks struggled. They shot 0-4 from beyond the arc in the first frame, including an effort that missed the rim entirely from Nani Falatea and a wide-open miss from Kelly.
Kyei, though, was the hub of a Ducks offense that churned through the first half with strength and finesse. The center put up a fast double-double in less than 17 minutes of game time, vital especially as Oregon shot just 2-9 from deep in the half.
“I can’t say enough about how she played,” Graves said. “To make this her swan song at Matthew Knight Arena — she’s had a lot of really good moments here, and this is maybe the best.”
The defense, meanwhile, stood up in the second period. Oregon held Rutgers to just nine points in the frame and grabbed eight defensive rebounds. Just one Scarlet Knight (Adams, 10) scored more than five points in the half, and a late burst that included a made three and steal-turned-layup from guard Ari Long pushed the Ducks ahead headed into the break.
Nothing unusual. Just an eight-point lead at the half.
Oregon came out of the break with confidence. It allowed the Scarlet Knights 18 points in the third quarter and added 17 more of its own to hold the advantage, even as it shrunk. Graves was relaxed in his seat, not upright with a hand on the scorer’s table as he might have been last year. Nothing unusual.
“I owe them [the seniors] a great deal of gratitude,” Graves said. “just because they gave us a chance. We obviously gave them a chance, too, but they came in and they knew what we needed to do as a program to get back to where we’ve been.”
With her team leading by 11 midway through the third, Kyei grabbed the entry pass, turned her defender and laid in the hook shot. She jogged back. Nothing unusual.
Rutgers guard Lisa Thompson dropped in a corner three in the fourth. All good. No sweat.
Kelly walked towards the bench as the final home media timeout of her Oregon career hit with a smile and outstretched arms, “Feeling the crowd’s energy one last time,” she said.
“Look what we can do,” Kelly’s grin seemed to say.
They aren’t world-beaters, but they’re confident. They aren’t title favorites, but they can play. They’ve got one more to go, up in Seattle, and then it’s proving time.
The end isn’t here. Not yet, and not for this team, which sealed its spot in the Big Ten Tournament two weeks ago and will head to Indianapolis with confidence.
“I think we have a really good chance to make a really good run, in both the conference tournament and in March Madness,” Kelly said. “Our pieces are finally coming together, and this is the perfect time for us to move on forward.”
Nothing unusual. They’re ready.
