After putting together its best performance of the season in a lockdown victory over No. 16 Michigan State, Oregon women’s basketball suffered an uncharacteristic, 80-48 blowout loss at Michigan on Sunday afternoon.
It was the first game allowing more than 70 points in Big Ten play for an Oregon team that prides itself in hard-nosed defense. Michigan shot 54% compared to just 30% for the Ducks (16-6, 7-4 Big Ten).
The Wolverines (15-7, 6-5) were led by Mila Holloway with 19 points, Olivia Olson with 18, Brooke Quarles Daniels with 10, and three players with nine points apiece.
Oregon saw 11 points apiece from Phillipina Kyei and Katie Fiso. Deja Kelly finished with just two points on 1-7 shooting, and Peyton Scott with six on 2-9 shooting.
Oregon got off to a sluggish start, falling behind 15-4 in the first quarter. The Ducks were a step slow defensively and struggled with Michigan’s full-court pressure, never quite finding their offensive footing in the early going.
A three-pointer by Nani Falatea broke the run and made it 15-7, but the Wolverines finished out the quarter strong and took a 25-15 lead into the second. They shot 69% in the first quarter and got to the basket at will.
Oregon briefly responded to start the second quarter as Fiso hit a three and layup, making it 25-20, but the game would quickly slip further out of reach as the Ducks struggled to stay in front of their opponent.
Michigan continued to find the gaps in Oregon’s defense, led by the aggressiveness of Holloway, and post players like Kyei could only watch as the Wolverines blew by for easy layups. The Wolverines led 38-24 at the half and left the Ducks appearing stunned.
Michigan came out of the halftime locker room and nailed a three-pointer, deepening the deficit to 17 for Oregon. An and-one by Olson then made it 44-24.
Kyei was the lone consistent offensive force for Oregon, scoring a few baskets inside to cut the Michigan lead to 46-32 midway through the third.
The Ducks got it within 52-40 as they picked up the defensive pressure, but the Wolverines’ timely three-point shooting including from Olson ballooned their lead back to 60-40.
A buzzer-beating three to end the third gave Michigan a 63-41 lead heading into the final quarter. Two more three-pointers to start the fourth slammed the door shut, making it 69-41 with just over six minutes to go. Oregon’s offense at that point, with a mix of subs and starters in the game, was nonexistent.
Michigan rotated its subs into the game and held on for a lop-sided win over the visiting Ducks, who return home for a pair of ranked matchups in the week ahead, including No. 1 UCLA on Super Bowl Sunday.
Next game: Oregon (16-6, 7-4 Big Ten) vs. No. 14 Maryland (17-4, 7-3)
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
Flashbulb memories. It’s the word for when a significant event happens in which everyone remembers exactly what they were doing the moment they found out.
Here is a look at this week’s High School on SI Top 15 Iowa high school boys basketball power rankings for the week of Feb. 3. To be eligible, you must be ran
Well, here we are again. The Tar Heels started another game as flat as last night’s soda, and were once more unable to rebound (figuratively speaking; in
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen outlines progress seen in win over NorthwesternIowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen outlines progress seen in H