Kelly Graves is going to look at the stat sheet and see 20 turnovers and think that’s probably what cost his team a win in the desert.
He would be right because most of those turnovers were unforced, but Arizona took full advantage to defeat the Ducks women’s basketball team 79-71 in a raucous McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. Sunday night.
With the loss, Oregon falls to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play and Arizona improves to 14-2 overall and 5-1 in Pac-12 action.
This was a back-and-forth game all night long with 21 lead changes and nine different ties. But Arizona scored the last six points of the game.
The Ducks had four players in double figures and held the Wildcats’ Cate Reese to just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Unfortunately for Oregon, Arizona’s role players stepped up enough in order to get the job done.
Final Score: Arizona 79, Oregon 71
Oregon head coach Kelly Graves hangs his head during the first round NCAA Division I WomenÕs Basketball Championship game matchup between No. 5 Oregon and No. 12 Belmont at Thompson-Boiling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn on Saturday, March 19, 2022.
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Keys to the game
Photo by Ethan Landa
The Ducks were hot from the three-point line early on, especially Te-Hina Paopao, and they took an early 20-15 lead.
That lead went up to 28-20 for the Ducks, but the Wildcats turned up the defensive pressure and went on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 30-30.
Turnovers were Oregon’s Achille’s Heel in that first half where they committed 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes alone. Arizona turned that into nine points.
For the first time in quite a while, the Ducks were beat on the boards, at least in the first half. Arizona held a slim 17-15 rebounding edge.
Grace Van Slooten was big for the Ducks all game, but she started dealing with cramps near the end and was forced to the bench multiple times.
It’s on the stat sheet
The Ducks shot an impressive 53% from the field, but Arizona managed to hit 10-of-20 3FG to swing the game.
Oregon turned the ball over 20 times, resulting in 16 Arizona points.
The Ducks dominated the paint points, outscoring the Wildcats 36-18. Meanwhile, Arizona’s bench did a tremendous job, scoring 26 points compared to Oregon’s 3.
Story continues
What’s next?
Oregon comes back home to the friendly confines of Matthew Knight Arena on Friday, Jan. 13 to take on Washington. After non-conference success, the Huskies are having a tough time of it in Pac-12 play as they are just 1-3 and 9-5 overall. They’re coming off a 66-52 loss at WSU.
Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire
