Ducks Round Up Cowgirls

Thursday, December 21

St. George, UT

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

9-4,0-0Pac-12

Oklahoma State

7-4,0-0Big 12

Oklahoma St.

Oregon

12/21/23 | Women's Basketball

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ST. GEORGE, Utah — Chance Gray logged a season-high 21 points to lead four players in double figures, as Oregon earned a wire-to-wire 70-63 win over Oklahoma State Thursday to close the Trailblazer Classic at Burns Arena.

The Ducks and Cowgirls were tied at 62 with 3:22 to go, but the UO defense held OSU to one point the rest of the way. Phillipina Kyei scored 11 second-half points, including two buckets in the Ducks' 8-1 closing run while Sofia Bell knocked down a pair of game-sealing free throws on her way to a season-high 15 points.

"Defensively is really where it started," said head coach Kelly Graves. "I thought we had a good game plan and the kids executed it. And then when they tightened it up in the end, we showed some composure, and made the plays and made the stops, most importantly, when we really needed to.

"It's a good win. Oklahoma State is a good team and a good program."

Gray scored a dozen points in the first half, including 10 in the second quarter, while Grace VanSlooten scored nine of her 13 in the first half, aiding the Ducks to a 37-29 lead at the break. Oregon led by as many as 17 in the third quarter before Oklahoma State's quarter-ending 14-3 spurt.

Oregon swatted 10 Cowgirl shots, with Kennedy Basham leading the way with four rejections. Bell and Kyei each recorded three blocks while VanSlooten picked up three steals. Basham grabbed six rebounds, as did Kyei. Kennedi Williams matched her season high with eight assists off the bench.

The win was the Ducks' fifth in six games to close nonconference play before Pac-12 action starts on New Year's Eve at Oregon State. Oregon snapped Oklahoma State's five-game winning streak.

How It Happened: Oregon limited OSU to 1-for-10 shooting over the game's first five minutes, as VanSlooten scored four early points to put the Ducks up 6-2 at the first media timeout. The Ducks swatted away four Oklahoma State shot attempts in the quarter, as the Cowgirls went just 3-for-17, helping UO to a 16-8 lead.

Gray ended the first half with a dozen points to lead all scorers, knocking down 5-of-6 shots from the floor and 2-for-3 from downtown. UO went 14-of-25 from the field in the first half, including 5-of-7 from range, in taking a 37-29 lead into the locker room. The Oregon defense limited the Cowgirls to 3-of-13 shooting from the 3-point line in the half.

VanSlooten added nine points while Bell was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor in the half in scoring eight points. Basham and Bell each recorded three blocked shots while Williams dished out four assists.

Kyei scored six of her 13 points in the third quarter while Gray added five. Oregon's biggest lead came in the third at 17 points, but the Cowgirls closed the frame on a 14-3 run to cut the Ducks' lead to six points at 54-48.

An early three from Bell pushed the lead to nine points and after layup from Gray, Oregon possessed a 59-50 lead with just under eight minutes to play. Oklahoma State responded by going on a 12-3 run to tie the score for the first time at 62, with 3:22 to go.

Oregon held OSU to just one point the rest of the way, closing the game on an 8-1 run that included two buckets from Kyei and a pair of game-sealing free throws from the freshman Bell. Bell and Kyei each scored five points in the final quarter.

"It was nice to see Sofia let loose a little bit, she hit some threes and got to the free throw line and got to the rim a few times," Graves added. "It was a really good effort, I'm proud of the team. This was a good bounceback for us. Going into break off a win, and especially with a win against a Power 5 team, I think is really important."

Up Next: After the holiday break, the Ducks begin Pac-12 action on Dec. 31 at Oregon State (2 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Oregon).