Once again, the ladies of Oregon were right there, but couldn’t quite seal the deal against another ranked opponent, falling to #15 Michigan State 81-85 Sunday in Eugene.
The game marked the fourth ranked opponent The Ducks have faced this season already. While helping with strength of schedule in building an NCAA Tournament resume, Oregon is so far 1-3 in such games, with the lone win coming against #21 USC.
Oregon blasted off like a rocket in the first quarter, scoring 31 points and leading the Spartans
by 11.
But MSU turned the tables in the second, doubling Oregon 24-12 to take a one point advantage into the locker room.
The Spartans led by seven late in the third, but Oregon turned it into a one-possession game for most of the fourth quarter before Michigan State’s decisive surge in the last three minutes.
Katie Fiso scored 20 points while Mia Jacobs and Sofia Bell had 18 each for the Ducks, with all three playing all 20 minutes of the second half. After Fiso put the Ducks up 75-74 with 4:49, she and Jacobs each had a pair of turnovers before the UO women scored again, at which point Michigan State was up 80-75. Bell set a new career high, thanks to six made three-pointers.
Despite their 2-3 Big Ten record, Kelly Graves’ squad is still in good position with a 14-4 overall record. Achieving 20 wins should be a solid way to get back into the NCAA Tournament in March, and having a winning conference record would be a big boost.
Fortunately for Oregon, their next slew of opponents are all out of the Top 25, so getting above .500 in Big Ten play should be doable.
