Ducks Head to UW for WNIT Great 8

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team's postseason journey continues Sunday, as the Ducks head to Seattle to take on Pac-12 rival Washington in the WNIT Great 8 at Alaska Airlines Arena at 3 p.m. PT.
 
The Ducks have won three straight games in the tournament, all by at least 20 points after an 81-61 win over San Diego in the round of 16. Ahlise Hurst dropped a season-high 23 points off the bench behind six 3-pointers while Te-Hina Paopao carded her first career double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
 
Sunday's matchup will mark the season's fourth meeting between UO and UW. Each team won on its home floor during the regular season while the Ducks ousted the Huskies from the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, 52-50, in the opening round.
 
The winner will advance to the WNIT's Fab 4 and face either Kansas or Arkansas.
 
 
GAME #35 – WNIT Great 8
Oregon (20-14) at Washington (18-14)
Sunday, March 26 | 3 p.m. PT | Alaska Airlines Arena (Seattle, Wash.)
TV: Washington Live Stream
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUJZ 95.3 FM)
Play-by-play: Terry Jonz
Listen Online | Live Stats
 
AT A GLANCE
Oregon will travel to Washington Sunday for the Great 8 round of the 2023 WNIT after a 81-61 win over San Diego in the round of 16 on Thursday. The Ducks have won all three WNIT games by at least 20 points and are averaging a 28.0 margin of victory.
 
With its win, Oregon reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh straight season, not counting the pandemic-abbreviated 2020-21 season. Sunday's matchups with UW will be the fourth time the rivals have met this season, with Oregon winning two of the three previous meetings.
 
UO, in its eighth all-time WNIT, now boasts a 21-5 record in the postseason tournament. Oregon claimed the 2002 WNIT title in addition to winning the 1989 NWIT championship. In its last trip to the WNIT in 2016, Oregon reached the semifinals.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Oregon got 36 bench points against San Diego, matching a season high, in its 81-61 win Thursday night, led by a season-high 23 from Ahlise Hurst. The point total marked Hurst's highest as a Duck, as she hit a season-best six 3-pointers.
 
Te-Hina Paopao registered her first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 10 assists. Paopao went 3-for-6 from 3 and has hit three or more triples in eight consecutive contests. Chance Gray and Endyia Rogers each scored 10 points to round out four Ducks in double figures.
 
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
After closing the regular season on a three-game losing streak, including a loss to Oregon in the first round of the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament, Washington (18-14) has won three straight games to advance to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.
 
UW defeated K-State Friday night, 55-48, at Alaska Airlines Arena in the Super 16, getting 17 points from both Dalayah Daniels and Trinity Oliver. Despite going 1-for-20 from the 3-point line, the Huskies overcame a 25-17 halftime deficit and outscored the Wildcats 38-23 after the break.
 
On the season, Daniels is the only UW player to average double-digit points at 11.2 while she also leads her team with 6.3 rebounds a game.
 
As a team, Washington ranks last in the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting at 27.3 percent and 11th in offensive efficiency at 90.8 (points per 100 possessions). UW's plus-7.3 rebounding margin is second-best in the conference.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Sunday's quarterfinal matchup will mark the fourth meeting this season between Oregon and Washington, with each team winning on its home floor while the Ducks ousted the Huskies in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. UO has won six of its last seven games in Seattle and is 19-20 all-time against Washington on its home floor. The Ducks have won 11 of the last 12 meetings and 12 of the last 14 overall, dating back to the 2015-16 season.
 
The Ducks and Huskies have met twice before in the WNIT, the last being a 93-85 win for UW in Eugene in the second round in 2014. UO defeated Washington 77-73 in Seattle in the 2002 WNIT quarterfinal round on its way to winning the tournament that season. Oregon and UW also met four times during the 2002 campaign, with UO claiming three victories: one at home, one in the Pac-12 Tournament and one in the WNIT quarterfinals.
 
DUCKS IN THE WNIT
Oregon, who had qualified for five straight NCAA Tournament berths, is in the midst of its eighth all-time appearance in the WNIT/NWIT and first since 2016. In the opening round, UO bounced North Dakota State from the tournament with a 96-57 win before a 78-53 win against Rice in the second round on Monday. Oregon moved on to the quarterfinals for the fifth time in program history with an 81-61 win over San Diego on Thursday.
 
The Ducks' win over North Dakota State in the opening round marked UO's highest point total in a WNIT or NWIT game, while the 39-point margin of victory was also a program high. Through three games, Te-Hina Paopao leads five UO players averaging double figures in the tournament with 18.7 points a game. Ahlise Hurst, off her career-high 23 against the Toreros, is second at 14.0 while Endyia Rogers adds 13.0 a game. Paopao is 13-for-22 from behind the 3-point line, while the Ducks are shooting 44.4 percent from deep as a team.
 
Through three games. Oregon has yet to trail in the second half and has trailed a total of 6:15 in the tournament, compared to leading for 106:18 - the equivalent to one hour, 46 minutes and 18 seconds. Defensively, UO is allowing just 57.0 points per game while teams are shooting just 31.9 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from deep. The Oregon offense has assisted on 65.6 percent of its field goals in the tournament thus far (61 assists, 93 made field goals) - up from its season average of 57.9 percent.
 
In their last WNIT appearance in 2016, the Ducks reached the semifinal round before falling at South Dakota, 88-54. Following Thursday's win, UO is now 21-5 all-time in the WNIT/NWIT and claimed the 2002 WNIT title in addition to the 1989 NWIT championship. This year's bid marks the second WNIT appearance under ninth-year head coach Kelly Graves (2016), who is 7-1 in the WNIT during his Oregon tenure. The Ducks own a 14-2 record at home in the WNIT/NWIT while Graves is 6-0.