Tuesday, December 17
Eugene, OR
6 p.m.
University of Oregon
8-3,0-1Big Ten
98
vs
36
Air Force
9-2,0-0Mountain West
1
2
3
4
F
Air Force
9
9
10
8
36
Oregon
22
22
27
27
98
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Balanced Production Fuels Blowout Victory
12/17/24 | Women's Basketball
Ten different players scored at least eight points for the UO women Tuesday, including Katie Fiso less than two weeks after a family tragedy.
EUGENE, Ore. — Vibes were high Tuesday at Matthew Knight Arena, as every available player made a meaningful contribution for the Oregon women's basketball team in a 98-36 win over Air Force before 4,551 fans.
The Ducks (8-3) celebrated themselves and each other, as they shared the ball to the tune of 31 assists on 43 made field goals, and got 51 points off the bench. And they celebrated one teammate just a little extra, as freshman guard Katie Fiso got her most substantial playing time since the passing of her father earlier this month, and made the most of it.
Ten different UO women scored at least eight points Tuesday, including Fiso, who scored 10 in 15 minutes off the bench. She added three assists and two steals, just 13 days after the passing her father, Joe.
"Everybody's pulling for her," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "I know the fans were pulling for her as well. So it was great to see."
Phillipina Kyei led the Ducks on Tuesday with 14 points. Sarah Rambus and Nani Falatea led the ridiculously productive night by the bench with 11 points each, and next up with 10 was Fiso, who was scoreless in seven minutes against USC on Dec. 7 — just three days after her father's untimely passing — but who thrived Tuesday.
"This is like a family," Fiso said. "I value family, and for my teammates to step up knowing what I've been through, to be there for me, I'm really thankful to the team for helping me through this hard time."
How It Happened: Among the other eye-popping numbers produced by the Ducks on Tuesday was 68 points in the paint. Of Oregon's 22 points in the first quarter, 16 came in the post, either feeding Amina Muhammad and Kyei in the halfcourt or on transition layups by Elisa Mevius.
By the end of the first period, eight players already had scored for the UO women.
"It's just good for chemistry when everybody gets involved," Falatea said. "Especially a game like this coming off a loss (to USC) and going into Big Ten play (starting Dec. 28) it's just good to get everybody involved."
The Ducks took a 44-18 lead into halftime after closing the second quarter on a 16-3 run. At that point Oregon was shooting 60.6 percent, while holding Air Force to 25.9 percent shooting.
"Just really pleased; it was great effort," Graves said. "We played well on both ends of the floor, we were aggressive on both ends of the floor. It was awesome to see everybody contribute tonight."
Fiso scored the final basket of the third quarter, giving Oregon a 71-28 lead. She scored eight more, including a three-pointer, during a 21-0 run by the Ducks that put them up 98-33 before Air Force scored the final three points of the night.
"We love Fiso; she's our little sister, the youngest kid on the team," Falatea said. "To see her come out, with everything she's going through, her strength — I'm older than her and I look up to that."
Deja Kelly added eight points with eight rebounds and four assists on the night, and Alexis Whitfield had eight points with seven rebounds. Ehis Etute and Peyton Scott also scored eight, as did Mevius, who dished out eight assists. Ari Long made a three-pointer off the bench, and was a team-high plus-34 in her minutes on the floor.
Up Next: The Ducks host UC Irvine on Thursday (6 p.m., B1G+).
The Ducks (8-3) celebrated themselves and each other, as they shared the ball to the tune of 31 assists on 43 made field goals, and got 51 points off the bench. And they celebrated one teammate just a little extra, as freshman guard Katie Fiso got her most substantial playing time since the passing of her father earlier this month, and made the most of it.
Ten different UO women scored at least eight points Tuesday, including Fiso, who scored 10 in 15 minutes off the bench. She added three assists and two steals, just 13 days after the passing her father, Joe.
"Everybody's pulling for her," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "I know the fans were pulling for her as well. So it was great to see."
Phillipina Kyei led the Ducks on Tuesday with 14 points. Sarah Rambus and Nani Falatea led the ridiculously productive night by the bench with 11 points each, and next up with 10 was Fiso, who was scoreless in seven minutes against USC on Dec. 7 — just three days after her father's untimely passing — but who thrived Tuesday.
"This is like a family," Fiso said. "I value family, and for my teammates to step up knowing what I've been through, to be there for me, I'm really thankful to the team for helping me through this hard time."
How It Happened: Among the other eye-popping numbers produced by the Ducks on Tuesday was 68 points in the paint. Of Oregon's 22 points in the first quarter, 16 came in the post, either feeding Amina Muhammad and Kyei in the halfcourt or on transition layups by Elisa Mevius.
By the end of the first period, eight players already had scored for the UO women.
"It's just good for chemistry when everybody gets involved," Falatea said. "Especially a game like this coming off a loss (to USC) and going into Big Ten play (starting Dec. 28) it's just good to get everybody involved."
The Ducks took a 44-18 lead into halftime after closing the second quarter on a 16-3 run. At that point Oregon was shooting 60.6 percent, while holding Air Force to 25.9 percent shooting.
"Just really pleased; it was great effort," Graves said. "We played well on both ends of the floor, we were aggressive on both ends of the floor. It was awesome to see everybody contribute tonight."
Fiso scored the final basket of the third quarter, giving Oregon a 71-28 lead. She scored eight more, including a three-pointer, during a 21-0 run by the Ducks that put them up 98-33 before Air Force scored the final three points of the night.
"We love Fiso; she's our little sister, the youngest kid on the team," Falatea said. "To see her come out, with everything she's going through, her strength — I'm older than her and I look up to that."
Deja Kelly added eight points with eight rebounds and four assists on the night, and Alexis Whitfield had eight points with seven rebounds. Ehis Etute and Peyton Scott also scored eight, as did Mevius, who dished out eight assists. Ari Long made a three-pointer off the bench, and was a team-high plus-34 in her minutes on the floor.
Up Next: The Ducks host UC Irvine on Thursday (6 p.m., B1G+).
Team Stats
USAFA
Oregon
FG%
.232
.589
3FG%
.150
.273
FT%
1.000
.462
RB
27
48
TO
29
14
STL
6
17
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballKelly Graves | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Deja Kelly, Peyton Scott & Phillipina Kyei | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Peyton Scott & Ari Long: "A good, competitive basketball game."
Thursday, February 27
Kelly Graves: "We've played really well."
Thursday, February 27
