The No. 10 seeded Oregon women’s basketball team improved to 12-5 in the March Madness Tournament under Kelly Graves as they traveled to Durham, North Carolina and narrowly escaped with a 77-73 win over the No. 7 Vanderbilt University Commodores.
The Ducks were led by Deja Kelly, who recorded 20 points and eight rebounds, Nani Falatea, who scored 17 points with four rebounds and a block and Peyton Scott, who had 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Scott was the hero in the final minute of overtime when she drew an offensive foul with the Ducks clinging to the lead and then sealed the game with two free throws.
It was a tightly-contested matchup from the tipoff. Neither team held a lead larger than three points anytime in the opening quarter. Turnovers were an issue early for the Ducks, who committed seven in the first quarter, but the defense stood strong on the other end to keep the game close.
Vanderbilt shot 3-for-15 in the quarter and committed four turnovers. Oregon also struggled to find the bottom of the basket in the opening quarter, shooting 4-for-13. It was because the defense held Vanderbilt to nine first-quarter points (its lowest scoring first quarter of the season), the Ducks took a three-point lead into the end of the quarter.
The scoring picked up towards the end of the first half as Oregon built on its lead while maintaining a strong defense. The Ducks led the entire quarter with their largest lead being 13. Vanderbilt shot 8-for-27 in the first half and 0-for-5 from three. Oregon won the physical battle in the first half, out rebounding the Commodores 19-11.
The first half leaders for Oregon were Katie Fiso, Scott, Kelly, Sofie Bell, and Falatea. Fiso recorded eight points, shooting 4-for-4. Scott scored seven points while shooting 2-for-2 including a 3-pointer, three rebounds, and two assists. Kelly, Bell and Falatea each scored six points. Bell recorded two 3-point field goals and Kelly and Falatea each recorded three rebounds. The Ducks held an 11-point lead at halftime.
Oregon came out of the locker room and began the third quarter with its foot on the gas. Kelly and Falatea continued to lead the way on the scoring side while Amina Muhammad and Phillipina Kyei started to get more involved. Oregon led by as much as 19 in the quarter.
Vanderbilt cut into the lead a bit with a 9-2 run midway through the third quarter, but an Oregon timeout got the Ducks back on track. Oregon’s lead was down to 12 entering the fourth quarter.
The Ducks forced a turnover on the opening possession of the quarter, which was followed by a 3-pointer from Kelly to bring the momentum back to Oregon.
The Commodores did not give up their fight as the clock wound down. A 12-2 Vanderbilt run cut the deficit to five, the smallest since the first quarter. It was the turnovers that hurt the Ducks the same way they had before Oregon built a large lead in the first half. Oregon still showed signs of life, but Vanderbilt was not letting up.
The Ducks found themselves clinging to a one-point lead going into the final minute. The free throws hurt them the most as they missed multiple opportunities to put the game away as the fourth quarter ended in a tie.
Vanderbilt took its first lead since the first quarter just over a minute into overtime. Oregon continued to struggle from the free throw line when it mattered most, finishing the game 15-for-27. Neither team led by more than two until there were seven seconds remaining andScott finally had a successful trip to the line to put the game away.
The Ducks will play the winner of tonight’s contest between Duke University and Lehigh University on Sunday, March 23.
