University of Oregon
8-0
Portland
2-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 13 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 52 |
| Oregon | 25 | 20 | 25 | 23 | 93 |
Ducks Sink 13 Threes to Stay Undefeated
12/13/15 | Women's Basketball
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Pilots (3-8) held a two-point lead just over a minute into the game but that would be the only time they were out in front as Oregon (8-0) used a 15-3 run in the middle of the first quarter to jump out to a double-digit lead. Maite Cazorla started the run when the freshman sunk a three at the 6:42 mark and Kat Cooper added a pair of triples as well.
“Kat can change the game,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “She was our first sub in and she hits two quick threes. She's a forward, so she makes the defense spread out when she can hit those outside shots.”
The second quarter was Jillian Alleyne's show as the senior scored eight points and collected her 10th rebound of the game, making it her 24th consecutive double-double and No. 77 for her career. Lexi Petersen added five more and the Ducks held a 16-point advantage going into halftime.
Petersen then took over the game in the third quarter as the senior had 13 of Oregon's 25 points. Cazorla added six off two threes and the game was firmly in UO's control as it was up 30 going into the final quarter. There, Cazorla added seven more points, ending the contest with a new career-high 18 points.
For the game, Petersen led all scorers with 23, a new season-high, while Cazorla chipped in 18 and Alleyne had 15. Lexi Bando was also in double-figures as the sophomore had 11.
“I'm really pleased with the good basketball we played tonight,” Graves said. “We took care of the basketball, shared it well and got good inside-outside production. We created some offense off our defense which we haven't done a lot of yet this year.”
EXECUTING THE OFFENSE: The Ducks currently rank second in the nation in shooting efficiency, knocking down almost 53 percent of their shots. However, today Oregon was even better, shooting 56.5 percent from the floor and over 68 percent from behind the arc. It's the best three-point percentage on the season for the Ducks and the 13 threes match the season-high. UO also sunk 13 on the road at North Carolina.
BENCH PROVIDES SPARK: Once again, the Oregon bench provided key buckets. Kat Cooper came on the floor in the middle of the first quarter, hitting two threes while Oti Gildon scored three buckets down low to go with her four rebounds. Mar'Shay Moore also knocked down two baskets for four points.
“It's a great feeling having players that can come in and score and really give us something in every minute of the game,” Alleyne said. “Everyone who either started or came off the bench really contributed.”
NOTABLE: Prior to tip-off, Jillian Alleyne was presented with a basketball by long-time Oregon great Bev Smith. Alleyne surpassed Smith's all-time rebounding record of 1,362 boards on Nov. 19 in a victory over Hampton … First year assistant coach for the Pilots, Drew Muscatell, made his return to Matthew Knight Arena. Muscatell was a member of the Oregon men's basketball team practice squad all four years and graduated from UO in 2013. His dad, Dan Muscatell, was an assistant coach for the Ducks men's team from 2009-14.
UP NEXT: Oregon will face UC Riverside Tuesday night at 5 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.
