Northwestern entered Matthew Knight Arena not knowing what it was about to run into. No. 20 Oregon came in hot and didn’t let up as the clock continued ticking. The Ducks put up 100 points to make their season opener a statement up against the Wildcats’ 57 points. 

Oregon started off strong with a 9-0 run, and the Wildcats didn’t put up their first score until almost halfway through the first quarter. 

“Just how great our defense was at the beginning of the game. I think that set the tone,” Te-Hina Paopao said. 

Oregon saw strong performances from its freshmen showcasing their athleticism. Grace VanSlooten made an impressive debut, putting up 20 points with 12 of those coming in the first half. 

“I was super excited to come to the game tonight because to be honest I didn’t know what we had,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “It was great to see the start we got. Grace was a big part of that.”

Part of Oregon’s defensive success came from Chance Gray. Northwestern was forced to run its offense farther from the hoop as a result of the pressure. Gray had 14 total points, four rebounds and four assists. 

Oregon went into halftime leading 50-27. 

After the halftime break, the Ducks came back and kept their substantial lead for the entire third quarter. Their largest lead of the quarter was 31 points at the end of the third quarter, 74-43. 

The Ducks saw success in their transitions and in their attacks. This allowed them to continue to build on their lead throughout the fourth quarter. Their largest lead was 44 points nearing the end of the game. 

“I love the pace with which we played. The way we attacked. We thought the game would be won or lost in transition. I thought defensively in transition we did an ok job. I thought offensively in transition we did a great job,” Graves said. 

With 12 seconds to go, Jennah Isai scored to give Oregon 100 points. Isai had 17 points total. 

Oregon will take on Seattle Saturday with tipoff at 11 a.m.