Thursday, March 5
Indianapolis, Ind.
Approx. 6 p.m.
University of Oregon
22-11,8-10Big Ten
73
vs
68
Maryland
23-8,11-7Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Oregon
15
16
21
21
73
Maryland
21
11
25
11
68
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Cardiac Kids' Heart Still Beats Loudly
03/05/26 | Women's Basketball
The Oregon women completed yet another fourth-quarter comeback Thursday and advanced to Friday's Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
INDIANAPOLIS — The heart still beats strong for the cardiac kids.
Trailing by five through three quarters, the Oregon women's basketball team completed yet another comeback Thursday, this time for the right to play in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The Ducks (22-11) beat No. 14 Maryland in the second round, 73-68, and advanced to face Michigan in the quarterfinals Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Limited to two combined points in the first half, sophomore stars Ehis Etute and Katie Fiso combined to finish with 34, with Etute tallying 20 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the tournament. She had 10 points during a 14-3 run by the UO women to open the final period, giving them their second fourth-quarter comeback this season against the Terrapins.
"If you watched our team this year, you would know that this is kind of how all our games go, up and down," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "It's a roller-coaster ride. We have huge deficits, but oftentimes we find a way to win it. So for me, it's old hat. This is who they are."
While Fiso and Etute were slow to get out of the gates, sophomore transfer Avary Cain helped keep the Ducks afloat in the first half with 10 points and two blocked shots. She then hit the dagger in the fourth quarter, a three-pointer with 5 seconds left when it was still a one-possession game.
"She's a dog," Fiso said of Cain. "She wants to win, she wants to compete, and having her hold us down that first half was amazing. It's just a testament to the work she puts in, on and off the court, trying to be better for this team. So I'm just proud of her. The sky's the limit for her."
After holding the Terps to 36.5 percent shooting in a 68-61 win at Maryland on Jan. 31, the Ducks outshot them Thursday, 44.1 percent to 43.3. Maryland shot 31.3 percent in the fourth quarter and finished the game just 1-of-15 from three-point range, with Fiso, Ari Long and Sofia Bell leading Oregon's defensive effort on the perimeter.
"We won the game at the defensive end, to be honest with you," Graves said. "They're such a great offensive team, and in both games we held them in the sixties. In fact, the 61 points we held them to in College Park was the lowest they scored this season. So we were doing it with the defense."
How It Happened: After Mia Jacobs opened the scoring for Oregon with a three-pointer, Etute scored to put the Ducks up 5-4 in the opening minutes. But that would be the only points she or Fiso scored in the opening half; each had been averaging at least 20 points per game over the previous five for the UO women.
"I actually felt encouraged knowing that, you know, those two would turn it around to some degree," Graves said. "… To score two points in the first half and 32 in the second just goes to show you what great players they are."
Cain hit a three-pointer late in the first quarter to help Oregon stay within 21-15 at period's end. She then scored seven during an 11-2 run to open the second quarter that put the Ducks up, 26-23. Maryland answered with a 9-0 run, though, and led 32-31 at halftime.
The Terrapins' final points of that run came via what ended up being their only made three-pointer of the game. That was thanks in no small part to the efforts of Long and Bell, who combined for 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals; the Ducks outscored the Terps by 12 points during Long's 28 minutes on the floor, the best plus/minus of the night on either team.
"They do all the little work that doesn't get on the stat sheet," Fiso said of Bell and Long. "They're diving on loose balls, they're creating havoc on defense, guarding the best players. They're doing a lot of the little work, and their contribution to the team is amazing."
Fiso made it clear from the start of the second half that her cold stretch was over, scoring the first two points of the third quarter. She finished with 12 points in the period and Etute had seven, as they combined for all but two of the Ducks' points in the third.
Still, Maryland led 57-52 entering the fourth. But Fiso scored to open that period as well, and Etute scored 10 straight for the Ducks to take them from down 57-56 to up 66-60. When the Terps closed within 66-64, Bell hit a three-pointer to get the margin back to five, and then Cain did the same moments later when it was 70-68 in the final minutes.
"Everyone just gives me so much confidence, especially the coaches — Kelly, everybody else in the staff," Cain said. "The confidence that they give me coming into this program is super amazing, and I can't be more thankful for that."
Up Next: The Ducks face Michigan on Friday (approx. 6 p.m., Big Ten Network).
Trailing by five through three quarters, the Oregon women's basketball team completed yet another comeback Thursday, this time for the right to play in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The Ducks (22-11) beat No. 14 Maryland in the second round, 73-68, and advanced to face Michigan in the quarterfinals Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Limited to two combined points in the first half, sophomore stars Ehis Etute and Katie Fiso combined to finish with 34, with Etute tallying 20 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the tournament. She had 10 points during a 14-3 run by the UO women to open the final period, giving them their second fourth-quarter comeback this season against the Terrapins.
"If you watched our team this year, you would know that this is kind of how all our games go, up and down," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "It's a roller-coaster ride. We have huge deficits, but oftentimes we find a way to win it. So for me, it's old hat. This is who they are."
While Fiso and Etute were slow to get out of the gates, sophomore transfer Avary Cain helped keep the Ducks afloat in the first half with 10 points and two blocked shots. She then hit the dagger in the fourth quarter, a three-pointer with 5 seconds left when it was still a one-possession game.
"She's a dog," Fiso said of Cain. "She wants to win, she wants to compete, and having her hold us down that first half was amazing. It's just a testament to the work she puts in, on and off the court, trying to be better for this team. So I'm just proud of her. The sky's the limit for her."
After holding the Terps to 36.5 percent shooting in a 68-61 win at Maryland on Jan. 31, the Ducks outshot them Thursday, 44.1 percent to 43.3. Maryland shot 31.3 percent in the fourth quarter and finished the game just 1-of-15 from three-point range, with Fiso, Ari Long and Sofia Bell leading Oregon's defensive effort on the perimeter.
"We won the game at the defensive end, to be honest with you," Graves said. "They're such a great offensive team, and in both games we held them in the sixties. In fact, the 61 points we held them to in College Park was the lowest they scored this season. So we were doing it with the defense."
How It Happened: After Mia Jacobs opened the scoring for Oregon with a three-pointer, Etute scored to put the Ducks up 5-4 in the opening minutes. But that would be the only points she or Fiso scored in the opening half; each had been averaging at least 20 points per game over the previous five for the UO women.
"I actually felt encouraged knowing that, you know, those two would turn it around to some degree," Graves said. "… To score two points in the first half and 32 in the second just goes to show you what great players they are."
Cain hit a three-pointer late in the first quarter to help Oregon stay within 21-15 at period's end. She then scored seven during an 11-2 run to open the second quarter that put the Ducks up, 26-23. Maryland answered with a 9-0 run, though, and led 32-31 at halftime.
The Terrapins' final points of that run came via what ended up being their only made three-pointer of the game. That was thanks in no small part to the efforts of Long and Bell, who combined for 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals; the Ducks outscored the Terps by 12 points during Long's 28 minutes on the floor, the best plus/minus of the night on either team.
"They do all the little work that doesn't get on the stat sheet," Fiso said of Bell and Long. "They're diving on loose balls, they're creating havoc on defense, guarding the best players. They're doing a lot of the little work, and their contribution to the team is amazing."
Fiso made it clear from the start of the second half that her cold stretch was over, scoring the first two points of the third quarter. She finished with 12 points in the period and Etute had seven, as they combined for all but two of the Ducks' points in the third.
Still, Maryland led 57-52 entering the fourth. But Fiso scored to open that period as well, and Etute scored 10 straight for the Ducks to take them from down 57-56 to up 66-60. When the Terps closed within 66-64, Bell hit a three-pointer to get the margin back to five, and then Cain did the same moments later when it was 70-68 in the final minutes.
"Everyone just gives me so much confidence, especially the coaches — Kelly, everybody else in the staff," Cain said. "The confidence that they give me coming into this program is super amazing, and I can't be more thankful for that."
Up Next: The Ducks face Michigan on Friday (approx. 6 p.m., Big Ten Network).
Team Stats
Oregon
MD
FG%
.441
.433
3FG%
.375
.067
FT%
.789
.882
RB
27
35
TO
15
17
STL
8
10
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
Ehis Etute & Katie Fiso | Postgame vs. Washington
Monday, March 02
Kelly Graves | Postgame vs. Washington
Monday, March 02
Astera Tuhina & Katie Fiso: "Coming out hungry."
Friday, February 27
Kelly Graves: "I like where we're at."
Friday, February 27
