Ducks Declaw Cats, Get Back To .500

Friday, February 13

Matthew Knight Arena

6:00 PM

University of Oregon

12-12, 5-8P12

Arizona

9-15, 2-11P12

Arizona

Oregon

Photo by: GoDucks.com

02/14/15 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: GoDucks.com

by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team used sizzling shooting midway through the game to open up a 21-point lead over Arizona on the way to a 75-61 victory Friday in Matthew Knight Arena, bringing the Ducks to 12-12 with five regular-season games remaining in the first season under head coach Kelly Graves.

How It Happened: The Wildcats, who beat Oregon in overtime three weeks earlier, came out firing. They made 10-of-21 to start the game, many of them jump shots, building a 23-20 lead with 7:52 left in the first half. But the Ducks turned the tables from there, making 5-of-8 before the half while Arizona went 2-of-12, resulting in a 14-4 run for Oregon that included the final 11 points of the first half.

Up 34-27 at the break, the Ducks (12-12, 5-8 Pac-12) kept up the pressure, making their first five three-point attempts of the second half. The fifth, by Jordan Loera, gave Oregon its biggest lead, 56-35. That was the Ducks' seventh straight made three-pointer, with Loera hitting the first two prior to halftime and the last for the biggest UO lead of the night. From there, Arizona (9-15, 2-11) used a pressing defense to force a few turnovers and close within nine, 60-51 at the 7:11 mark, but the Ducks righted the ship.

Who Stood Out: Jillian Alleyne was perfect most of the night, missing only her final field-goal attempt to finish 7-of-8 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line for 19 points and 17 rebounds. Lexi Petersen added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, Lexi Bando finished with four three-pointers and 14 points, and Loera added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench.

What It Means: Despite a major change in playing style under Graves, the Ducks are at .500 with five regular-season games and at least one Pac-12 Tournament game left to play. Even in the midst of a rebuilding effort, Graves still has the Ducks in contention for a postseason berth in his first season.

Quotable:
Kelly Graves, UO head coach
On the game overall
"Good win, really good win. The slow start was tough, but I thought our kids kind of hung in there and the last 12 minutes of the first half, we played as good a defense as we can. Then the offense kind of got rolling, and the second half, same thing. … They were making 'em early, and we kind of just withstood that, kept our confidence up, and then those things kind of evened out."

Jordan Loera, junior guard
On Arizona's early scoring
"We don't like teams to score. But it was an adjustment we knew we had to make, getting up on the 15-foot game they're known for."

Odds and Ends: Prior to tipoff, ceremonial balls were presented to Alleyne and Katelyn Loper for reaching 1,000 points in their careers, and Alleyne received another for her 1,000 career rebounds. … Oregon is now 6-0 in the last 14 games when holding the opponent under 70 points, and 0-8 when failing to do so. … Arizona was coming off an upset win over Stanford.

Up Next: The Ducks host Arizona State in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday (4:30 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).