Sunday, January 11
Eugene, OR
2 p.m.
University of Oregon
14-4,2-3Big Ten
81
vs
85
Michigan State
16-1,5-1Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Michigan St.
20
24
23
18
85
Oregon
31
12
19
19
81
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Late Breakdowns Cost Ducks In Defeat
01/11/26 | Women's Basketball
Oregon was in position to knock off No. 15 Michigan State at home Sunday but saw a late lead slip away.
EUGENE, Ore. — Katie Fiso's jumper gave Oregon the lead with 4:49 to play, but No. 15 Michigan State scored the next six points and held off the UO women for an 85-81 victory Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.
A hot start from three-point range helped the Ducks lead by as much as 16, early in the second quarter. The Spartans battled back and led by seven late in the third, but Oregon turned it into a one-possession game for most of the fourth quarter before Michigan State's decisive surge in the last three minutes.
"That's a game we let get away," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "My fault; I think we made some 'we're tired' turnovers at the end, and I failed to give two of our players even a minute or two (of rest) in that second half. And I think a few of those turnovers late were fatigue turnovers. We just lost our composure, and that's unfortunate, because I thought we played a good basketball game overall."
Fiso scored 20 points while Mia Jacobs and Sofia Bell had 18 each for the Ducks, with all three playing all 20 minutes of the second half. After Fiso put the Ducks up 75-74 with 4:49, she and Jacobs each had a pair of turnovers before the UO women scored again, at which point Michigan State was up 80-75.
"We can go toe-to-toe and we can play with anybody," Graves said. "This has been a top-15 program over the last month, right? But we've got to win these close games. We won one at USC (on Tuesday), but that's over. We had another opportunity tonight, and it didn't work out."
Bell set a new career high with her 18 points, thanks to a career-best six made three-pointers. She hit four of them in the first quarter as Oregon raced out to a double-digit lead.
"I'm more focused on the outcome," Bell said. "I mean, yeah, it was nice to get open shots. But we're definitely disappointed about the loss."
How It Happened: Bell made four threes within the first 3:31 of the game, getting Oregon out to a 12-2 lead. Baskets by Sarah Rambus and Jacobs helped the Ducks push the lead to 14 at 25-11, and Fiso scored for a 29-14 lead late in the first quarter, which ended with Oregon up 31-20.
Another bucket for Rambus and a three-pointer by Astera Tuhina to open the second gave the UO women their biggest lead of the game, 36-20. Tuhina hit another three moments later to make it 41-27, but Michigan State then mounted a 17-0 run and led 44-43 at halftime.
"We know basketball is a game of runs, so it's just looking to withstand those runs and fight back, especially that late one in the fourth," Bell said. "So, yeah, just really working to stick together and try to negate that."
A 10-2 run for the Ducks early in the third put them back in front, 53-48, with Jacobs scoring eight of their 10 points. The Spartans then scored the next 10 in a row, and they built their biggest lead of the game, 67-60, with 28 seconds left in the third.
Jacobs scored the last basket of the third to get Oregon within 67-62, and she scored again to open the fourth. That kicked off a 7-0 for the Ducks, which put them up 69-67. A three by Michigan State put the Spartans back in front, the first of seven straight lead changes over the ensuing few minutes as the teams went back-and-forth.
But after Fiso made it 75-74 with 4:49 left, a series of UO turnovers helped the Spartans push the lead beyond one possession, and Oregon got no closer than three in the final two minutes.
"In order to be a great team, we've got to do the little things when we're tired, do the little things when we're fatigued," Fiso said. "Because that's what March is going to be looking like every single game."
Up Next: The Ducks play at Iowa on Thursday (6 p.m., FS1).
A hot start from three-point range helped the Ducks lead by as much as 16, early in the second quarter. The Spartans battled back and led by seven late in the third, but Oregon turned it into a one-possession game for most of the fourth quarter before Michigan State's decisive surge in the last three minutes.
"That's a game we let get away," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "My fault; I think we made some 'we're tired' turnovers at the end, and I failed to give two of our players even a minute or two (of rest) in that second half. And I think a few of those turnovers late were fatigue turnovers. We just lost our composure, and that's unfortunate, because I thought we played a good basketball game overall."
Fiso scored 20 points while Mia Jacobs and Sofia Bell had 18 each for the Ducks, with all three playing all 20 minutes of the second half. After Fiso put the Ducks up 75-74 with 4:49, she and Jacobs each had a pair of turnovers before the UO women scored again, at which point Michigan State was up 80-75.
"We can go toe-to-toe and we can play with anybody," Graves said. "This has been a top-15 program over the last month, right? But we've got to win these close games. We won one at USC (on Tuesday), but that's over. We had another opportunity tonight, and it didn't work out."
Bell set a new career high with her 18 points, thanks to a career-best six made three-pointers. She hit four of them in the first quarter as Oregon raced out to a double-digit lead.
"I'm more focused on the outcome," Bell said. "I mean, yeah, it was nice to get open shots. But we're definitely disappointed about the loss."
How It Happened: Bell made four threes within the first 3:31 of the game, getting Oregon out to a 12-2 lead. Baskets by Sarah Rambus and Jacobs helped the Ducks push the lead to 14 at 25-11, and Fiso scored for a 29-14 lead late in the first quarter, which ended with Oregon up 31-20.
Another bucket for Rambus and a three-pointer by Astera Tuhina to open the second gave the UO women their biggest lead of the game, 36-20. Tuhina hit another three moments later to make it 41-27, but Michigan State then mounted a 17-0 run and led 44-43 at halftime.
"We know basketball is a game of runs, so it's just looking to withstand those runs and fight back, especially that late one in the fourth," Bell said. "So, yeah, just really working to stick together and try to negate that."
A 10-2 run for the Ducks early in the third put them back in front, 53-48, with Jacobs scoring eight of their 10 points. The Spartans then scored the next 10 in a row, and they built their biggest lead of the game, 67-60, with 28 seconds left in the third.
Jacobs scored the last basket of the third to get Oregon within 67-62, and she scored again to open the fourth. That kicked off a 7-0 for the Ducks, which put them up 69-67. A three by Michigan State put the Spartans back in front, the first of seven straight lead changes over the ensuing few minutes as the teams went back-and-forth.
But after Fiso made it 75-74 with 4:49 left, a series of UO turnovers helped the Spartans push the lead beyond one possession, and Oregon got no closer than three in the final two minutes.
"In order to be a great team, we've got to do the little things when we're tired, do the little things when we're fatigued," Fiso said. "Because that's what March is going to be looking like every single game."
Up Next: The Ducks play at Iowa on Thursday (6 p.m., FS1).
Team Stats
MSU
Oregon
FG%
.456
.484
3FG%
.370
.391
FT%
.765
1.000
RB
40
30
TO
18
19
STL
11
10
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
6
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballKelly Graves: "Continuing to trend up."
Tuesday, January 13
Kelly Graves | Postgame vs. Michigan State
Monday, January 12
Sofia Bell & Katie Fiso | Postgame vs. Michigan State
Monday, January 12
2026 Oregon Women's Basketball - USC Cinematic Recap
Friday, January 09
