Ducks Pull Away Late at UW
SEATTLE, Wash. – Oregon used a late-game run fueled by its defense to pull away from Washington in the final two minutes of a 68-61 road win Friday.
The Ducks won their fourth in a row behind 20-point games by Endyia Rogers and Nyara Sabally while Chanaya Pinto brought great energy off the bench down the stretch to spark the late run.
"I'm happy we won the game and with the way we finished the game," said head coach Kelly Graves. "In the end it's a good road win against a really good Washington team."
How it Happened: Working with a one-point lead with just over two minutes to go, Oregon pulled away late with a 10-1 run fueled by its defensive energy. Leading 57-56 at the 2:15 mark, the Ducks got three buckets off of three steals, two by Sabally and one by Pinto to open up a 65-57 lead with 41 seconds to go.
The Ducks held a slight edge after the first, with Rogers leading the way scoring 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field. She hit a three with four minutes to play in the quarter to give Oregon some breathing room at 13-10, as the two teams traded buckets the rest of the quarter to make it 19-15, Ducks after one.
Washington jumped in front in the second and led by as much as five with 3:26 until halftime, but the Ducks went into the break on a 9-0 run to lead 34-30. Rogers hit a pair of jumpers and Te-Hina Paopao knocked down a three while Phillipina Kyei delivered a boost off the bench with a layup and three rebounds in the final four minutes of the half.
The Huskies again erased an Oregon lead, tying the game at 43 with 3:28 left in the third, but the Ducks once again ended a quarter on a run to create some separation. Ahlise Hurst hit a three to put UO in front 46-43, then Sabally took over by scoring the Ducks' final five points to make it 51-47 heading to the fourth.
Who Stood Out: Rogers scored a season-high 23 points, including 14 in the first half, on 8-of16 shooting from the field while hitting three shots from outside. Sabally turned in her third 20-point game of the season, finishing with 20 points and seven rebounds while adding four assists and four steals.
Pinto again delivered clutch play down the stretch, scoring all four of her points and came away with each of her four steals in the fourth quarter while also grabbing a pair of rebounds.
"(Chanaya) was huge for us," said Graves. "I thought she and Nyara really controlled the game down the stretch and it's nice to know that we can turn to her."
Up Next: The Ducks return to Matthew Knight Arena to host Utah on Wednesday at 11 a.m. (Pac-12 Network).