Monday, November 7
Eugene, OR
3:00 PM
University of Oregon
1-0,0-0Pac-12
100
vs
57
Northwestern
0-1,0-0Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Northwestern
7
20
16
14
57
Oregon
21
29
24
26
100
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Freshmen Set Tone In Opener
11/07/22 | Women's Basketball
Grace VanSlooten scored 20 points, Jennah Isai added 17 and Chance Gray set the tone defensively as the UO women beat Northwestern on Monday.
EUGENE, Ore. — Three true freshmen were among four Ducks to score in double figures Monday as the UO women's basketball team opened its season with a 100-57 victory before 5,661 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
Grace VanSlooten scored a game-high 20 points, Jennah Isai had 17 and Chance Gray added 14 in their collegiate debuts. Te-Hina Paopao paced Oregon's veterans with 15 points, and Endyia Rogers and Taya Hanson added nine each as the UO women shot 52.9 percent overall and made 9-of-19 three-pointers.
"For the first game, I thought they did great," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "I was super excited tonight to come to the game, because I — to be honest with you — didn't know what we had. It was great to see the start we got."
How It Happened: VanSlooten kicked off her UO career and the Ducks' season by scoring in the post on the opening possession of the game, on a feed from Rogers. That sparked a 9-0 run by the Ducks, capped by another Rogers assist on a basket by Gray.
The basket from Gray followed one of seven turnovers forced by the Ducks in the opening quarter, which they turned into seven points. Paopao had two of the Ducks' six steals in the period, but she credited Gray with establishing the defensive intensity that helped Oregon break it open.
"That set the tone for the game," Paopao said."We have a great ball-stopper in Chance. She really set the tone."
About the only thing the Ducks didn't do in the first quarter was make a three-pointer, but Paopao and Hanson made two each in the second. Paopao's first pushed Oregon's lead to 30-11, her second made it 40-18 and Hanson's second closed the first half and gave the Ducks a 50-27 lead at halftime.
Isai got going in the third, scoring nine of her 17 points and making two three-pointers. VanSlooten had six points in each of the first three quarters, and the Ducks took a 74-43 lead into the fourth. Gray scored nine points and had two steals in the final period, and Isai scored on Oregon's final possession after the Ducks had four empty trips in their bid to reach 100 points.
Who Stood Out: VanSlooten got her 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and also had three assists, two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Her penetration early, along with that of post Phillipina Kyei, allowed the Ducks to soften up Northwestern's matchup zone defense.
"It was really exciting," VanSlooten said of her debut. "I give a lot of props to my teammates for getting me the ball, getting me open shots. It was a lot of fun."
Paopao's 15 points came on 5-of-8 shooting. She and Rogers combined for 11 assists, nine rebounds and four steals, providing the Ducks a veteran presence on the perimeter. Kyei finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
What It Means: It's only one game, but VanSlooten already looks like she can be a primary scoring option for the UO women in 2022-23.
"She's definitely one of our go-tos, so she's going to be in position to produce for us," Graves said. "She's been our most consistent inside player, good in transition … I'm not saying we need 20 from her every night, but she's going to be in a position where we run stuff to get her looks, get her points."
Notable: VanSlooten had the most points by a UO freshman since Paopao scored 22 at Oregon State on Dec. 13, 2020. … All 10 Ducks on the roster appeared in the opening quarter, and all 10 finished the game with at least one made field goal. … Freshman post Kennedy Basham played only six minutes before limping off early in the fourth quarter. There was no update on her status immediately after the game.
Up Next: The Ducks host Seattle on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Grace VanSlooten scored a game-high 20 points, Jennah Isai had 17 and Chance Gray added 14 in their collegiate debuts. Te-Hina Paopao paced Oregon's veterans with 15 points, and Endyia Rogers and Taya Hanson added nine each as the UO women shot 52.9 percent overall and made 9-of-19 three-pointers.
"For the first game, I thought they did great," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "I was super excited tonight to come to the game, because I — to be honest with you — didn't know what we had. It was great to see the start we got."
How It Happened: VanSlooten kicked off her UO career and the Ducks' season by scoring in the post on the opening possession of the game, on a feed from Rogers. That sparked a 9-0 run by the Ducks, capped by another Rogers assist on a basket by Gray.
The basket from Gray followed one of seven turnovers forced by the Ducks in the opening quarter, which they turned into seven points. Paopao had two of the Ducks' six steals in the period, but she credited Gray with establishing the defensive intensity that helped Oregon break it open.
"That set the tone for the game," Paopao said."We have a great ball-stopper in Chance. She really set the tone."
About the only thing the Ducks didn't do in the first quarter was make a three-pointer, but Paopao and Hanson made two each in the second. Paopao's first pushed Oregon's lead to 30-11, her second made it 40-18 and Hanson's second closed the first half and gave the Ducks a 50-27 lead at halftime.
Isai got going in the third, scoring nine of her 17 points and making two three-pointers. VanSlooten had six points in each of the first three quarters, and the Ducks took a 74-43 lead into the fourth. Gray scored nine points and had two steals in the final period, and Isai scored on Oregon's final possession after the Ducks had four empty trips in their bid to reach 100 points.
Who Stood Out: VanSlooten got her 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and also had three assists, two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Her penetration early, along with that of post Phillipina Kyei, allowed the Ducks to soften up Northwestern's matchup zone defense.
"It was really exciting," VanSlooten said of her debut. "I give a lot of props to my teammates for getting me the ball, getting me open shots. It was a lot of fun."
Paopao's 15 points came on 5-of-8 shooting. She and Rogers combined for 11 assists, nine rebounds and four steals, providing the Ducks a veteran presence on the perimeter. Kyei finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
What It Means: It's only one game, but VanSlooten already looks like she can be a primary scoring option for the UO women in 2022-23.
"She's definitely one of our go-tos, so she's going to be in position to produce for us," Graves said. "She's been our most consistent inside player, good in transition … I'm not saying we need 20 from her every night, but she's going to be in a position where we run stuff to get her looks, get her points."
Notable: VanSlooten had the most points by a UO freshman since Paopao scored 22 at Oregon State on Dec. 13, 2020. … All 10 Ducks on the roster appeared in the opening quarter, and all 10 finished the game with at least one made field goal. … Freshman post Kennedy Basham played only six minutes before limping off early in the fourth quarter. There was no update on her status immediately after the game.
Up Next: The Ducks host Seattle on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Team Stats
NU
Oregon
FG%
.361
.529
3FG%
.333
.474
FT%
.533
.826
RB
31
41
TO
21
13
STL
5
13
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
9
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Kelly Graves | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Deja Kelly, Peyton Scott & Phillipina Kyei | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Peyton Scott & Ari Long: "A good, competitive basketball game."
Thursday, February 27
Kelly Graves: "We've played really well."
Thursday, February 27
