After playing their first two games at home, the Oregon women’s basketball team have embarked upon a road trip that has and will take them to Arizona and then to the far reaches of the American northeast, to Vermont and Maine.
Their first opponent on Monday was Grand Canyon University, and the Antelopes took advantage of Oregon’s poor play in the first half to hand the Ducks their first defeat of the season, 81-74.
In the first half, GCU was on fire, especially with the long ball, and Oregon was not.
In the first half, the Antelopes scorched the Ducks by hitting 7-9 on the long ball, while Oregon only hit three of their shots. GCU also controlled the boards, especially in the first quarter.
At the half, Oregon was down by 18 points, and that gap was too large for the Ducks to surmount. Oregon closed it somewhat with better play in the second half and was down only six after a 14-2 run, but GCU had enough cushion to hold the Ducks at bay.
By the fourth quarter, the Antelopes were still the better team, and they looked the part.
Oregon got as close as two points late in the game. With 2:14 left, the Ducks were behind 71-29, but Ehis Etute fouled out, Oregon was forced to play the foul game with a minute to go, and GCU was great at the line. The Antelopes shot great all game, but they totally annihilated the Ducks by shooting 26-29 at the free throw line.
Grand Canyon shot nearly 47%, led by Dasha Biruk with 20 points. They also outrebounded Oregon, 35-30. But it was the first half that won the game for them, as they shot 62.5% and 90% on the FT line.
Oregon shot 34.5% in the first half, and 62.5% at the line. The Ducks finished the game shooting 37.7% and had four Ducks score in double figures, led by Ari Long with 19 points. Ehis Etute finished with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds.
The ladies need to turn it around quickly, as they play Vermont tomorrow at 1:00 pm PT. The Ducks meet the Catamounts for the first time, and it’s their first time in that part of New England. Vermont is not going to be a pushover – they made the NCAA tournament last year. We’re going to find out if Oregon can fix their early season woes early on this season; that’s for certain.
