The Oregon women’s basketball team (10-0) defeated the Oregon State Beavers (5-4) 96-73 in an in-state rivalry game that saw the Ducks blow the game open in the first half. Even a sloppy third quarter wasn’t enough to give the Beavers a chance as the Ducks cruised to a 23-point win.

Oregon was led by Katie Fiso, who finished the game with 23 points, Mia Jacobs, who finished with 21, and Sarah Rambus, who finished with 18.

“Katie Fiso was incredible tonight,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “Sarah Rambus did well. One thing against Oregon State, if you have somebody that can make that mid-range shot, you’re gonna get it all night long.”

Oregon State controlled the opening tip, but got nowhere as Fiso hit the deck to draw an offensive foul and then set up Rambus for the first basket of the game.

The Beavers kept pace with Oregon and took their first lead three minutes in with the first 3-pointer of the game, but the Ducks answered right back with a 3-pointer from Fiso.

Back-to-back steals by Ari Long allowed Oregon to extend its lead with a 7-0 run on field goals from Rambus, Sofie Bell, and a three from Jacobs.

Oregon finished the game with 10 steals from seven different players.

After the first timeout of the game, the Ducks picked up right where they left off with consecutive 3-pointers from Bell, Fiso, and Jacobs to extend the lead to double digits. The Beavers answered with a 3-pointer of their own, but the Ducks weren’t done, as it was Avary Cain’s turn to hit one from deep for the final points of the first quarter.

Oregon State was the first on the board in the second quarter, but the Ducks had an immediate answer to force a Beavers timeout.

The teams exchanged turnovers coming out of the break before Amina Muhammad got to the line and split her free throw attempts. The Beavers had an answer, until Oregon scored back-to-back field goals to extend its lead to 20 points.

The Beavers were not going away quietly, but their inconsistent ability to handle the ball allowed Oregon to remain in control. Oregon State committed 14 turnovers in the first half, giving the Ducks 21 points off those takeaways.

Oregon held a 30-point lead at halftime. Its leading scorers were Fiso with 15 points, Rambus with 14, and Jacobs with 12.

“In that first half, we played about as well as we can play,” Graves said.

The Ducks did not have the ideal start to the second half. Their first possession ended with an offensive foul, which was followed by a defensive foul on the other end. After the teams traded steals, the Beavers scored the first points of the half by way of a 3-pointer.

All Oregon had to do was put the ball in the hands of Fiso, who took the 3-pointer right back. Oregon State had another three in its back pocket to spark a 7-1 scoring run, but the Beavers still trailed by 26.

It was a much cleaner quarter for Oregon State, which allowed it to find better shots than in the previous quarter. It was Oregon that was struggling to develop a clean possession as the Beavers continued to chip away at the lead. It was back to a 20-point deficit, six minutes into the half.

“There was a big drop off in the second half,” Fiso said. “If we want to be a great team, we’ve gotta keep that same level of intensity and same level of discipline that we had in the first half to finish out games.”

Just when it felt like things were slipping away for the Ducks, a deep triple from Astera Tuhina gave them a boost, but the Beavers still were not going away. Back-to-back traveling violations by Fiso gave them even more life.

“That’s a tremendous program,” Graves said. “You knew those guys weren’t gonna go down like that. They came out and showed what they’re made of.”

Oregon ended the quarter on a 4-0 run to push the lead back to 21, despite committing seven turnovers that quarter.

Jacobs got the Ducks the first to score in the fourth quarter following an offensive foul against the Beavers. Oregon State still had its foot on the gas, but with the Ducks making far fewer mistakes that quarter, it had no chance at completing the comeback.

The Ducks travel to UCLA for a matchup this Sunday against the No. 4 Bruins. Tipoff will be at 12:00 p.m.