EUGENE — Fueled by stretches of lockdown defense and a range of scorers stepping up, Oregon women’s basketball beat Wisconsin, 68-52, on Saturday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.
With leading scorer Peyton Scott sidelined due to a knee injury, the Ducks (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) were led by Elisa Mevius with 14 points, Amina Muhammad with 12, Deja Kelly with 10 and Nani Falatea with 10.
“Really proud of our team,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “That was a great effort. I’ve been coaching here 11 years now, and that’s one of the best defensive efforts I think we’ve had in a long time. Serah Williams is one of the best players in the country, and we went out to try and take her out of the game. And we did. The gameplan was well put together by the coaches, and the players went out and executed.”
Williams came in averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Badgers (10-5, 1-3), including a 36 point and 14 rebound performance against Butler in double-overtime in December. The Ducks were able to shut her down, and Wisconsin shot just 40% from the field as a team while committing 22 turnovers to Oregon’s 14.
“We lead the Big Ten in bench points at about 32 a night, so we’re capable of withstanding an injury,” Graves said. “Obviously, you never want one, and Peyton’s been our leading scorer. It’s just nice to know that you have somebody like Nani Falatea who can go in, and I thought Katie Fiso came in and played well.”
After a slow start for both teams from the field, Oregon took a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter. A three-pointer by Wisconsin’s Halle Douglass broke the Badgers’ scoreless streak nearly five minutes in.
Wisconsin would settle into the game offensively and cut the Oregon lead to 11-10, but Muhammad remained aggressive inside and the Ducks’ three-quarter court trap tightened. Oregon led, 17-12, through one.
The second quarter opened with a pair of buckets from the freshman guard Fiso, who nailed a turnaround jumper from the midrange and a long three-pointer to make it 22-12 Ducks. Fiso’s emotion and energy were evident on both ends, forcing turnovers on the other end as well.
An 8-0 run by the Ducks midway through the second quarter made it 30-15, and they led, 37-23, at the half, buoyed by a strong defensive effort.
“I think defense is a big part of our identity as a team, so we really take pride on that end,” Kelly said. “Coach Jerise (Freeman) has done a really good job implementing different ways we can guard and defend. We can be really aggressive, we can be physical. And just everyone being in the right spot, too, really helps our intensity on that side. We had great energy today.”
The third quarter echoed the first, with neither team able to put the ball in the basket for minutes on end. Wisconsin continued to to struggle turning the ball over, leading to transition baskets for the Ducks as they took a 50-30 lead.
A pair of Fiso free throws gave Oregon a 58-35 lead through three.
Wisconsin rattled off a 7-0 run in the early fourth quarter, cutting the Ducks’ lead to 58-42 and forcing a timeout by Graves. Oregon didn’t score its first basket of the final frame — a putback layup by Phillipina Kyei — until the 5:18 mark.
The Ducks were outscored 17-10 in the final quarter, but were able to hang on for the double-digit win. A big reason why was their defensive communication throughout the game, particularly on Williams down low.
“It’s on the up and up,” Falatea said of Oregon’s communication. “That’s the thing we’ve talked about for a long time is communication is going to be everything for us down the stretch. I think the more that we do it like today, where we showed what we’re capable of, we could do it for all 40 minutes.”
Next game: Oregon (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) at Penn State (9-5, 0-3)
- When: Thursday, Jan. 9
- Time: 3 p.m. PT
- Where: Bryce Jordan Center — State College, Pennsylvania
- TV: B1G+
- 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.
