Ducks Meet Terps in Second Round

Thursday, March 5

Indianapolis, Ind.

Approx. 6 p.m.

University of Oregon

Maryland

The Oregon Ducks take on the Purdue Boilermakers in round one of the 2026 Big10 Conference Basketball tournament at Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 4, 2026 (Eric Evans Photography)

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

03/05/26 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

UO looks to advance to quarterfinals vs. Maryland (6 p.m. PT, BTN).

INDIANAPOLIS – The Oregon women's basketball team continues its Big Ten Tournament run in Indianapolis, where the 11th-seeded Ducks will meet six-seed and 14th-ranked Maryland on Thursday at approximately 6 p.m. PT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Ducks and Terrapins met in College Park on Jan. 31, with UO earning a 68-61 victory over the then-16th-ranked Terps. Oregon is 3-1 all-time against Maryland, with a 2-0 neutral-site record.

Under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves, the Ducks are 13-9 in conference tournaments after picking up their first Big Ten Tournament win against Purdue on Wednesday.

GAME #33 – BIG TEN TOURNAMENT (SECOND ROUND)
(11) Oregon (21-11) vs. (6) No. 14 Maryland (23-7)
Thursday, March 5 | Approx. 6 p.m. PT | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)
TV: Big Ten Network
Play-by-play: Sloane Martin | Analyst: Christy Winters Scott | Sideline: Elise Woodward
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM | ESPN Portland 910 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

A WIN WOULD…
» Advance the Ducks to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament to face No. 3-seed Michigan on Friday.
» Give the Ducks their 22nd win of the season, marking their most in a season since winning 31 in 2019-20.
» Be the Ducks' third ranked win of the season, all coming away from home.
» Secure Oregon's second all-time Big Ten Tournament victory.
» Be 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves' 14th conference tournament win in his UO tenure.
» Improve the Ducks' neutral record to 3-1 and 9-6 in all games away from home.
» Mark Oregon's second against Maryland this season and give it a 4-1 all-time record against the Terrapins.
» Mark Graves' 50th ranked victory in his Oregon tenure.

LAST TIME OUT
A dominant first half gave the Oregon women's basketball team more than enough cushion to survive Purdue's comeback bid Wednesday night.

As a result, the UO women have their first-ever Big Ten Tournament victory, an 82-64 win over the Boilermakers in the first round at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. And the Ducks (21-11) are moving on to play Thursday night against Maryland, knowing there's plenty of room for improvement even after a convincing win to open the tournament.

"We played a great first half, obviously," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "One turnover. We shot the ball well. We distributed the wealth, so to speak, and it was one of our better halves. But you know, we're still a relatively young team, and we've got to learn how to close teams out when we got them down."

SCOUTING MARYLAND
No. 14 Maryland (23-7, 11-7) earned a first-round bye at the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 6-seed, winning six of its final seven games after a season-long four-game skid that included a 68-61 home loss to Oregon on Jan. 31.

The Terrapins' hot finishing stretch included two road wins over top-20 teams in Michigan State and Ohio State. The Terps have spent the entire season in the Associated Press top 25, spending 10 weeks in the top to and reaching a ranking as high as seventh.

Four players average double-digit points for the Terps, led by 17.7 a night from Oluchi Okananwa. Kaylene Smikle is second at 13.1, with Yaden Garzon (13.0) and Addi Mack (11.0) rounding out the quartet. Okananwa is shooting a team-best 52.2 percent from the floor with Garzon pacing her team in 3-point shooting at 39.1 percent.

As a team, Maryland leads the Big Ten with 15.8 offensive rebounds a game and 15.4 made free throws per game while ranking second in rebounding margin (plus-10.0) and total rebounds per game (41.9).

INSIDE THE SERIES
Thursday's game will mark the fifth all-time meeting, and second this season, between Oregon and Maryland. The Ducks hold a 3-1 all-time series lead after their 68-61 win over the then-16th-ranked Terrapins on Jan. 31 in College Park. Including Thursday, the Terps have been ranked inside the nation's top 20 in all five matchups. All three of UO's wins over Maryland have come away from home, going 2-0 in neutral-site matchups.

In the season's first matchup, the Ducks got 26 points and 11 rebounds from Ehis Etute to go with 16 points from Sofia Bell. Bell drilled four 3-pointers on the night, hitting three straight in the fourth quarter to propel the Ducks from a two-point deficit to a seven-point lead over a three-minute span. Eleven of Bell's 16 points came in the fourth. Oregon's defense limited Maryland to 2-of-15 shooting from the 3-point line and 36.5 percent shooting overall.

DUCKS IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Oregon is set for its second-ever Big Ten Tournament, as the Ducks enter a conference tournament as an 11-seed for the first time in program history. Last season, UO earned the No. 8 seed and faced off with ninth-seeded Indiana in the second round, falling 78-62. Under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves, Oregon is 12-9 in conference tournament games while winning two Pac-12 Tournament titles in a three-year span (2018, 2020).

DUCKS AGAINST THE TOP 25
No. 14 Maryland marks the ninth top-25 opponent the Ducks will face this season, with each coming against Big Ten foes. UO is 2-6 against the Associated Press top 25, including a 68-61 victory at the then-16th-ranked Terrapins on Jan. 31. The win bookmarked the month of January with a pair of road ranked victories after the Ducks began the month of with a 71-66 comeback victory at then-No. 21 USC, 71-66. It is the first time UO has earned two road wins over ranked foes since the 2019-20 season, while each of its last three top-25 victories have come on the road after defeating 16th-ranked Michigan State a season ago. Head coach Kelly Graves has led the Ducks to 49 ranked wins during his 12-year tenure in Eugene.

Against ranked teams this season, three players average double-figure points: Ehis Etute (13.8), Katie Fiso (12.3) and Mia Jacobs (10.1). Etute also adds 9.1 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor with 2.0 steals a game. Sofia Bell is shooting at a 42.9 clip from the 3-point line goal in those contests and adds 1.3 steals. Fiso is averaging 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds while totaling 12 steals against top-25 opponents. Oregon is outscoring ranked teams 159-118 in the fourth quarter while holding a plus-30 point differential in the second half overall.

OFF AND RUNNING
Oregon began the 2025-26 season 10-0 for just the third time in program history before suffering its first loss of the season on Dec. 7 at then-No. 4 UCLA. It marked the first 10-0 start since beginning the 2015-16 season 11-0, and the second 10-0 start or better under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves. The Ducks' 12-1 start was its best 13-game start since the 2019-20 season, and the third 12-1 start or better under Graves. UO's offense has scored 80 or more points 15 times, including five straight to begin the season - its longest streak to open a season since seven straight such games to open the 2019-20 season. UO's scoring offense of 75.3 points per game ranks 42nd nationally and 10th in the Big Ten.

Seven different Ducks have led or tied for the team lead in scoring, with 11 different players producing a double-digit scoring performance. Four times this season five different players finished in double figures, most recently on Dec. 18 in win over Portland: Mia Jacobs (21), Amina Muhammad (12), Avary Cain (11), Sarah Rambus (11) and Katie Fiso (10). Five of the 11 players with a double-figure scoring game did so coming off the bench (Avary Cain, Ehis Etute, Muhammad, Astera Tuhina and Janiyah Williams).

» Oregon's offensive rating of 102.2 (points per 100 possessions) ranks 11th in the Big Ten while averaging 72.8 possessions per 40 minutes (sixth in the Big Ten). UO had an offensive rating of 96.0 with an average of 70.2 possessions per 40 minutes last year.
» The 2.6 increase in pace is the second-largest improvement in the Big Ten from a season ago while its increase in scoring offense of 7.3 points per game ranks as the fourth-best improvement.
» The 15 80-point outings are the most since posting 25 such games in 2019-20, and the fourth-most under Graves during his UO tenure.
» UO's field goal percentage of 45.4 is No. 33 in the country, with its 50.5 percent on two-point shots ranking 10th in the conference. The Ducks' field goal percentage is on pace for their highest efficiency since a program-record 50.9 percent in 2019-20.
» The Ducks' bench is averaging 22.5 points per game, good for sixth in the Big Ten, scoring 32 points against Washington on March 1 - their eighth 30-point outing of the season.
» UO's 17.0 assists per game are good for 30th nationally, posting an assisted shot rate of 61.4 percent (fifth in the Big Ten).
» The Ducks' assisted shot rate has jumped by 6.8 percent from 2024-25, the third-largest leap from last season in the Big Ten.
» The Ducks are fifth in the Big Ten and No. 13 in the country in free throw shooting (78.2 percent), while their 1.14 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 46th nationally. UO's free throw percentage would set the single-season program record, which was set during the 2019-20 season at 77.3 percent.

DUCK DEFENSE
Oregon's suffocating defense, a chief reason for Oregon's success a season ago, is back again this year. The Ducks have forced at least 20 turnovers 15 times and recorded double-digit steals in 20 of 32 contests this season. The 20 games with 10 or more steals are tied for the 17th-most in the country, and tied for most in the Big Ten, while the 15 20-turnover games are good for No. 4 in the conference. In 15 games this season, UO's defense has recorded double-digit steals while forcing 20 or more turnovers - tied for the second-most such games in the Big Ten.

Oregon forced a season-high 32 turnovers behind 24 steals against West Georgia in the season opener, its most steals in a game since 2013. Oregon's defense recorded 12 or more steals and forced at least 23 turnovers in four consecutive games to begin the season. UO turned in 10 or more steals in five consecutive games from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, matching the longest streak from a season ago. The four consecutive games with 20-plus turnovers to start the season marked its longest since eight straight such games during the 2010-11 season.
» The 20 games with double-digit steals are already the most in a season under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves, and matching the most in a single season since at least 1999 (also done during the 2010-11 season).
» Oregon's 10.6 steals per game rank fourth in the Big Ten and 44th in the country, and would be its highest average per game since posting 10.9 steals a game in 2010-11. The 10.6 steals a game would be fifth-most in a season in UO history.
» The Ducks' defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is 86.3, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
» Oregon is recording a steal on 12.6 percent of opponent possessions, which is the fourth-highest rate in the Big Ten and 39th-best in the nation. It marks UO's highest steal rate since at least 2009-10 and 1.0 percent higher than the next highest (11.6 percent in 2019-20).
» Opposing teams are turning the ball over on 22.2 percent of its possessions, the Ducks' highest forced turnover rate since at least 2009-10 and the sixth-best rate in the conference this season.

CARDIAC DUCKS
Oregon has been no stranger to close games this season. The Ducks have played nine games that have been decided by five points or less after a one-point loss to Washington, 70-69, in the regular-season finale on March 1. Oregon has played 14 "clutch games" - games that are within five points with five minutes or less to play - this season, including five straight to end the regular season. Since the start of last season, Oregon has played 28 clutch games, winning 15 of them. After a 80-76 comeback win over Nebraska on Feb. 19, UO has produced three double-digit comeback wins, equaling the most in a season under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves.

At then-No. 21 USC on Jan. 6, Oregon overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to upset the Trojans on their home floor 71-66. Junior guard Ari Long went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc over the game's final 2:43 to erase a six-point hole and finish the game on a 14-0 run. The comeback victory tied for the second-largest halftime deficit overcome under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves, tying a 16-point comeback at USC back on Jan. 13, 2017. Trailing at one point by 17 in the third quarter, it was the largest comeback win since the 2021-22 season against Arizona.

» Five of the Ducks' last six games have been clutch games, while 12 of the 14 games that have been within five points with five minutes or fewer remaining this season came during Big Ten play (18 games).
» Oregon produced its third comeback victory of at least 10 points against Nebraska, as the Ducks trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half and 11 points in the fourth quarter. The three double-digit comeback wins tie the most in a single season under head coach Kelly Graves.
» The Ducks went on a 15-2 run over a 4:30 stretch that flipped a 10-point hole into a three-point lead. Guard Katie Fiso closed the game by scoring 10 of Oregon's final 14 points over the game's final 3:40.
» On Feb. 4 against Illinois, the Ducks saw their 21-point halftime lead disappear in the second half, trailing by as many as eight in the fourth quarter before rallying to win 76-73.
» Down one with eight seconds to go, Fiso hit a driving layup to take a 74-73 lead, and later knocked down two free throws with a second on the clock to salt away the Ducks' smallest margin of victory of the season.
» The win against the Trojans marked the second double-digit comeback win of the season after Oregon trailed by 14 points at Auburn on Nov. 30, outscoring the Tigers 34-20 in the second half.
» The double-OT game against Michigan was the first time the Ducks have gone into double overtime since the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament against Belmont on March 19, 2022. UO has played two double-overtime contests this season (at Wisconsin).
» This marks the first season with multiple double-overtime games played since 2021-22, when UO played two over the season's final five games. Oregon played three games that season that went into an extra period, going 1-2.
» Over the last two seasons, the Ducks have participated in 19 games that have been decided by five points or fewer, going 11-8 in those tilts with five wins coming away from home.
» The nine games decided by five points or fewer are the most such games in the Big Ten this season. Since joining the Big Ten last season, the Ducks have played a league-leading 19 games decided by five points or less, five more than the next closest.
» UO's 14 games decided by single digits this season are second-most in the Big Ten and one off the conference lead.
» A season ago, UO went 9-5 in clutch games, winning six straight at one point, while going 5-0 in games decided by two points or less and 7-1 in games decided by four points or less.