Break Comes At Right Time For Ducks

Tuesday, November 26

Laie, HI

4 p.m.

University of Oregon

6-2,0-0Big Ten

South Dakota State

4-2,0-0Summit League

South Dakota St.

Oregon

Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com

11/26/24 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score: South Dakota State 75, Oregon 70 Photo Gallery

Oregon will look to regroup over Thanksgiving after a pair of losses at the Hawai'i North Shore Showcase.

LAIE, Hawai'i — The Thanksgiving holiday will be a chance for the Oregon women's basketball team to regroup and recharge.

The No. 21 Ducks suffered their second loss in two days at the Hawai'i North Shore Showcase on Tuesday, a 75-70 defeat to South Dakota State. Deja Kelly had 19 points to lead the Ducks against the Jackrabbits, an NCAA Tournament team five of the last six seasons.

UO coach Kelly Graves shuffled his starting lineup due to the uncertain status of senior post Phillipina Kyei, who was limited to 10 minutes in the game. Fellow forward Ehis Etute was hampered by foul trouble and the Ducks couldn't make up for those factors from the perimeter, hitting just one three-pointer on 11 attempts.

"I'm giving the kids three days off, and hopefully physically we can get healthy," Graves said. "(But) I'm gonna recommend that they get in the gym and start knocking down some shots. It sounds simple; I know it's not."

Kelly's 19 points came on an array of midrange jumpers and drives to the rim. Amina Muhammad provided 10 points down low along with eight rebounds, but only Sofia Bell was able to connect on a three-pointer for Oregon (6-2).

"Our shooting needs work," Graves said. "We had a couple pretty good looks late and we were short on the threes. You're not going to beat a good team going 1-from-11 from the three-point line."

After trailing throughout the third period, the Ducks tied it in the fourth at 60-60 on a three-point play by Kelly with 6:14 to go. Elisa Mevius tied it again at 64-64 with 2:45 to go, but SDSU scored at the other end to take the lead for good.

Etute added eight points in her first start for the Ducks, and Kyei scored seven in 10 minutes of action. Mevius added seven points as well.

"Inside, I thought we were a lot better today," Graves said. "That was good to see. Maybe that's where we've got to put more effort, just getting the ball inside."

How It Happened: Neither team led by more than three points in a back-and-forth first quarter, with the Ducks closing the quarter on a 7-2 run, including five straight points after a Bell three-pointer, Oregon a 22-19 lead. Kyei led Oregon with five points and three rebounds. UO went 10-of-18 from the floor to SDSU's 7-for-12, while each team hit on 1-of-2 three-point attempts.

A pair of Etute free throws extended UO's lead to 24-19, but the Jackrabbits answered with a 9-0 spurt to take a 28-24. The Ducks crawled within a point, 35-34, with just under three minutes to go in the half after jumpers by Etute and Kelly, only to see the Jacks score the next five to take a 40-36 lead into the locker room.

Four points marked the largest run for either team in the third quarter. Baskets from Nani Falatea and Bell cut South Dakota State's lead to three before layups from Mevius and Sarah Rambus brought the Ducks within two, 49-47.

SDSU scored seven of the quarter's final 11 points to stake a 56-51 lead through three. UO went 7-for-16 from the floor in the frame while the Jacks went 7-for-13; however, SDSU hit on both of its three-point attempts while the Ducks were 0-for-3.

Consecutive baskets from Muhammad and Alexis Whitfield in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter brought the Ducks within a point, 56-55. An and-one from Kelly tied the game at 60 with just over six minutes left.

Down four with 33 seconds to play, Mevius came up with a crucial steal and found Muhammad on the fast break to make it a two-point game, 72-70. On the other end, SDSU missed one of two free throws, allowing the Ducks a chance to tie the game, but a three-point attempt from Peyton Scott with 22 seconds left fell short and SDSU grabbed the rebound and held on for a five-point win.

Notable: Kelly was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 14.5 points. … Etute and Falatea made her first starts as Ducks, while Rambus got her first start of the season. … Oregon now leads the all-time series 5-3, with its three-game winning streak in the series snapped … This was the first meeting between the teams since the 2019-20 season.

Up Next: The Ducks return to Matthew Knight Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 4, to host Washington State (7 p.m., B1G+).