PORTLAND, Ore. — When Oti Gildon and Maite Cazorla stepped foot on the Oregon campus as freshmen in the fall of 2015, neither one thought the Oregon women’s basketball program would ever step foot on a stage as big as the NCAA Tournament regionals. 
It wasn’t even a thought. Yet still, the two believed in the program and stuck with it.
And now, four years later, as seniors, the two are leading the Ducks to their first ever Final Four appearance.
“I owe so much to Oti Gildon and Maite Cazorla,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said. “They were the two that really took a chance on us. We didn’t have much to sell at the time other than a beautiful arena … But they took a chance on us.” 
From the WNIT in their first year, to two consecutive Elite Eight runs and now a Final Four, the two women have been with Oregon through the worst of times and also, the best of times, as teammates, roommates and also best friends.
“We weren’t good,” Cazolra said about her first year on the Ducks. “At the time I thought, ‘Oh, we’ll get better.’ But I never thought about coming to the Final Four and it’s just a dream come true.”
At the time of her recruitment, Gildon was Oregon’s highest ranked recruit. Though, throughout her years as a Duck, she’s never been the leading scorer and didn’t start in a game until her junior year. But none of that has never once stopped her from being Oregon’s most consistent sixth-woman player. She’s comes off the bench and instantly becomes Oregon’s missing piece at just the right times. 
“Oti gets underlooked, undervalued, perhaps, by maybe people who watch us play or just follow the team kind of at a distance,” Graves said. “But those who knows us, her teammates, she is the rock. She has been the rock for four years. We owe a lot to her.”
Cazorla, one of the team’s starting guards, joined the program and immediately began carving an impact, starting by leading the Pac-12 with 206 assists in her freshman year — which currently ranks third on Oregon’s single-season all-time record list. Since then the Las Palmas, Spain, native has propelled Oregon with her quick pick-and-rolls and her clutch 3-pointers. 
Currently, she holds the program record with 141 career starts in 141 games played. But almost more impressively, Cazorla is the first ever Spanish player to make a women’s Final Four.
“She’s like my best friend/sister and I love her,” Gildon said. “I love her for being here and being here with me.”
In the first 35 seconds of Sunday’s first quarter, Cazorla stepped back behind the arc in the corner and unleashed a 3-pointer to score Oregon’s first points of the game. Then, with 35 seconds left in the game, Cazorla hit the dagger 3-pointer to give Oregon an 84-77 lead. She finished the Elite Eight matchup, playing the full 40 minutes, with 11 points, six assists and one rebound.
“I was really glad that Maite stepped up tonight on this biggest stage because she’s going to be a long-time pro and long-time Olympian for Spain,” Graves said. “We’re going to see her playing for many, many years.”
But before that moment, before the game even tipped off, Gildon and Cazorla walked alone to the center of the court. Just like they’ve done every game this season, the two stood and introduced themselves to the opposing team, representing the Ducks as the team’s captains. 
And in five days, the two will do just the same, this time at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida, at the Final Four.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter @maggie_vanoni

Gallery • 1 Photos

Oregon Ducks guard Maite Cazorla (5) looks for an open pass. Oregon Ducks women’s basketball takes on Mississippi State at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore. on March 31, 2019. (Devin Roux/Emerald)