EUGENE — Despite trailing by 15 in the second quarter, Oregon women’s basketball fought back for a thrilling 50-49 win over Iowa on Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Ducks (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) were struggling on both ends for much of the first half, but a second half turnaround — buoyed by an uptick in defensive effort — ignited the comeback. They got 12 points and five rebounds from Phillipina Kyei and 10 points from Deja Kelly.

“Really proud of them,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “Almost looked like we were sleepwalking in the first half. Just a little sluggish. I don’t know what it was. … I credit (Iowa). They came out desperate and really needed this win. Just thought in the second half, we showed a lot of character and a lot of heart.”

The Hawkeyes (13-7, 2-6 Big Ten) were led by Sydney Affolter and Addison O’Grady with 10 points apiece.

Oregon set a season-high in attendance with 7,307 packed into a rowdy Matthew Knight Arena.

Oregon got off to a frantic start in front of those fans, however, with Iowa locking down on defense and forcing the Ducks into difficult situations. The Hawkeyes led, 11-0, midway through the first quarter as Oregon shot 0-6 with three turnovers.

The Ducks did not score until a three-pointer by Alexis Whitfield at the 2:53 mark of the first quarter, making it 11-3. Despite a pair of smooth midrange jumpers by Kelly, Iowa carried a 17-7 lead into the second quarter.

Oregon’s defense came out flat to start the second, and the Iowa lead ballooned to 27-12. Communication was lacking as the Ducks appeared a step slow. After a timeout by Graves, the Ducks rattled off an 8-0 run, fueled by the defense and playmaking of Elisa Mevius.

Iowa kept its 10-point advantage at the break, though, leading 32-22. Graves’ halftime message stuck with players, who pointed to it after the game as a big reason for the comeback win.

“It’s probably still on the board,” Graves said. “There’s a big, red heart. I just thought we had to play with more heart. We didn’t diagram anything. Just thought in the second half, we did. Our kids played with some character in the second half.”

Oregon turned on the defensive clamps in the third quarter, picking up the energy and causing Iowa’s shooting percentage to come back down to Earth. Kyei forced her way to the basket to end the third, cutting the deficit to 41-35.

Kyei’s aggressive play continued in the early fourth, as yet another soft layup made it 41-37. She forced a shot clock violation on the other end, and soon made it three straight scores against O’Grady on the ensuing offensive possession to cut it down to 41-39.

“Coach got on us a little bit, so I had to bring something more,” Kyei said. “Just telling me to seal deeper and call for the ball.”

“When Philly gets deep position and calls for the ball, we’re just a better team,” Kelly added. “She draws attention, and if it’s 1-on-1, it’s over. If we can get her the ball and she can get that low and demand the ball, it’s a game-changer.”

O’Grady would quickly pick up her fourth foul, forcing key minutes for Ava Heiden — the freshman out of Sherwood, Oregon — in the absence of an injured Hannah Stuelke.

Nani Falatea tied things up for Oregon on a sweeping layup in the lane with 6:30 to go. A three-pointer by Elisa Mevius gave the Ducks their first lead of the night, 44-41, and sent Matthew Knight Arena into a frenzy.

Amina Muhammad got involved down low for the Ducks, scoring a pair of buckets to give Oregon a 48-43 lead with just over three minutes to go. Iowa got it back down to a one-point deficit with 1:01 to go, with Kyei waiting at the scorer’s table.

Falatea hit a midrange jumper out of the timeout to give Oregon a 50-47 lead as time ticked away. Sydney Affolter responded with a bucket of her own, making it 50-49 with 42.1 seconds to go.

Kyei missed a hook for the Ducks, giving the ball back to Iowa with 9.5 seconds remaining. O’Grady missed an open midrange jumper, Mevius got the rebound and was fouled with 1.3 seconds left. Oregon eventually dribbled it out while avoiding being fouled again, escaping with the victory.

“It just shows that we have a lot of fight, we’re competitive, and we don’t go down easy,” Kelly said. “The adjustment was our defense. Us picking up our intensity and effort on that end, it allowed us to get out and run and get the shots we wanted. We like to play in transition, but it started on the defensive end.”

Next game: Oregon (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) vs. Indiana (12-6, 4-3)

• When: Friday, Jan. 24
• Time: 6 p.m. PT
• Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene
• TV: B1G+
• Radio: Oregon Sports Network

— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.