In a battle of former Pac-12 foes, Oregon women’s basketball finished strong in an 85-70 win over Washington State on Wednesday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (7-2) were led by the dynamic duo of Peyton Scott (23 points) and Amina Muhammad (22 points). Phillipina Kyei picked up a double-double for the Ducks, too, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Oregon and Washington State started off at a breakneck pace, with both teams struggling to shoot from outside but working it into the paint with success. The Ducks went up 11-9 midway through the first, buoyed by six points for Muhammad and five for Kyei.
Oregon extended the run to 10-0 to take a 17-9 lead, and after one quarter the Ducks led, 22-17.
Keeping up a solid defensive effort in the early second quarter, Oregon took a 30-21 lead. But the floodgates soon opened for Washington State sharpshooter Astera Tuhina, and the Cougars clawed back.
A pair of three-pointers by Tuhina made it 30-27, forcing a timeout from Kelly Graves. And a few possessions later, Tuhina hit another one from outside to tie things up, 32-32.
Oregon and Washington State entered the half tied, 34-34.
The game remained tight throughout the early third quarter, with Scott carrying Oregon on offense. She hit a pair of three-pointers to give Oregon a 50-44 lead, and a transition bucket from Elisa Mevius plus the foul made it 53-44.
Scott hit a deep three-pointer at the third quarter buzzer, banking it in to give Oregon a 65-55 lead heading into the fourth. Scott had 14 points in the third quarter alone.
Oregon ballooned it to an 18-point lead in the middle portion of the fourth, leading 81-63 on the back of Muhammad’s play inside and another Scott three-pointer. The Ducks did not look back as Washington State chucked up outside shots in a failed comeback attempt.
Next game: Oregon (7-2) vs. No. 6 USC (7-1)
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7
- Time: 1 p.m. PT
- Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Radio: Oregon Sports Network
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
