Late Surge Sends Ducks Past OSU

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon weathered a potential knockout punch to close the third quarter Friday night, and then the No. 24 Ducks threw one of their own to beat Oregon State at Gill Coliseum, 74-66.

Up 48-34 late in the third quarter, Oregon (16-7, 9-3 Pac-12) saw OSU close out the period with an 18-3 run to lead 52-51. At that point the Ducks were shooting 30.4 percent for the game, but they proceeded to hit seven straight shots early in the fourth to open up a 69-58 lead before sealing the win at the free-throw line.

Te-Hina Paopao led the Ducks with 22 points, and Nyara Sabally returned from a one-game absence to finish with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

"At Gill the fans, they go crazy for sure," Paopao said. "I told (my teammates) that they're gonna go on runs and you know, we just got to get buckets. It just goes to show that we have so many weapons on our team, and everyone contributed and did their part."

How It Happened: On a night when the Ducks didn't get hot until the exact right time in the fourth quarter, Oregon's defense was the difference early. After OSU scored the first five points of the game, the UO women responded with a 14-0 run. That run included two three-pointers by Sydney Parrish, and four turnovers forced by the Ducks. Oregon led 16-10 at the end of the quarter, having committed just one turnover while forcing five.

Oregon State took better care of the ball early in the second quarter, putting together a 10-2 run to lead 25-22 with 4:37 left in the half. The Beavers hadn't committed a turnover in the quarter at that point, but the Ducks then forced four in OSU's next five possessions and held the Beavers scoreless the rest of the half. Oregon closed the first half on an 8-0 run, including a banked three-pointer from the corner by Paopao at the buzzer for a 30-25 lead.

It was 36-32 early in the third when the Ducks seemed to take firm control of the game. They put together a 12-2 run to lead 48-34, with Parrish and Paopao hitting three-pointers to cap the surge. But Oregon State ended the run with two free throws as 3:15 remained in the quarter, and that sparked an 18-3 run for OSU to close out the period, giving the Beavers a 52-51 lead. OSU scored on its last seven possessions of the quarter, including a trio of three-pointers as well as a three-point play, while the Ducks managed only an Ahlise Hurst three-pointer in that time.

With the Ducks seemingly on the ropes, they went to a lineup featuring twin towers Sabally and Sedona Prince to open the fourth. They helped spread the floor and give Sabally a matchup deep in the post, and she scored to right Oregon's ship. After OSU scored to a take a 54-53 lead, the Ducks proceeded to make seven straight shots, including a three-point play by Sabally, a three-pointer from Maddie Scherr and two buckets by Prince. A 14-2 run put the Ducks up 69-58, and OSU got no closer than six the rest of the way.

"We got the right players shooting at the right times," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "I was actually really impressed with our team in terms of, we built leads and they came back, and then we held our composure and then did a much better job of getting the shots that we wanted,"

Who Stood Out: Paopao led the Ducks with 22 points and also grabbed six rebounds, and Sabally had 16 points with 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Parrish finished with 11 points on a trio of three-pointers, Rogers contributed nine points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Scherr finished with seven points, six rebounds and five assists.

Scherr also helped hold OSU leading scorer Talia Von Oelhoffen without a field-goal attempt in the first half, though Von Oelhoffen ultimately finished with a well-rounded line of 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

"Maddie Scherr's our best defender and what she did tonight really helped our team step up our defense," Paopao said. "What she did really helped us get that defensive mindset."

What It Means: With Arizona losing at ASU earlier in the evening, Oregon is alone in second place in the Pac-12. The Ducks will look to stay a game ahead of Arizona in the loss column when both teams face their rivals again Sunday.

"We're going to get (Oregon State's) very best — and they came into our building last year and beat us," Graves said. "You know, that's three straight for us here. But yeah, we're gonna get an absolutely hungry team, no question about it. And they're going to be better, so we're gonna have to be better."

Up Next: The Ducks host round two of rivalry weekend Sunday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network).