Ducks Drop Rivalry Rematch

EUGENE, Ore. — The No. 24 Oregon women saw Oregon State even the score in their rivalry series Sunday, as OSU bounced back from the Ducks' win in Corvallis on Friday with a 68-62 victory in Matthew Knight Arena.

The Ducks rallied to tie the game in the third after trailing at halftime, 32-22. But Oregon couldn't get stops early in the fourth, and suffered all day from the impact of 4-of-21 three-point shooting.

"We coached a poor game tonight, and our team didn't play a great game," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "And it' s unfortunate because we spoiled a good crowd at home here. I really thought we were starting to build some momentum after the Washington State game and then Friday night."

How It Happened: Te-Hina Paopao blocked a shot at one end and then drove to the rim for the game's opening points, and she scored again later in the first quarter for a 6-5 lead. Paopao then capped a run of three buckets in three possessions by the Ducks to put them up 12-9. But OSU leading scorer Talia von Oelhoffen put the Beavers back in front before Nyara Sabally closed the quarter with a basket for a 14-14 tie.

A pull-up jumper by Maddie Scherr put Oregon out in front 22-19 midway through the second, but von Oelhoffen got hot again for OSU. She hit a three-pointer to spark a 13-0 run by the Beavers to close out the second quarter, making it 32-22 at halftime.

The lead was still 10 at 35-25 early in the third when Oregon got hot. Scherr made a three-pointer to spark an 11-1 run that also included baskets by Endyia Rogers, Sabally and Paopao. When a late bucket by von Oelhoffen was ruled to have left her hand after the shot clock expired, OSU had a narrow lead entering the fourth, 45-40.

The Beavers then scored on their first six possessions of the fourth quarter, making the game a mirror image of Friday, when OSU rallied in the third to make a game of it but Oregon surged to open the fourth and put it away. The Ducks cut the lead to four a couple of times on scoring from Sabally, at 59-55 and 61-57, but got no closer.

Who Stood Out: Paopao finished with 17 points and Rogers scored 16, and they combined for seven rebounds, six assists and six steals — but also 1-of-13 three-point shooting. Sabally scored 13, bouncing back from a 1-of-7 shooting performance in the first half.

What It Means: The Ducks were rated No. 16 in preliminary NCAA Tournament seedings released by the selection committee earlier in the week, and thus in line to host the opening rounds of March Madness. That status now seems in doubt, though with time left to improve their résumé.

Up Next: The Ducks host a nonconference matchup with UCLA on Wednesday (4 p.m., Pac-12 Network).