Oregon women’s basketball took their undefeated streak to #4 UCLA and lost to the Bruins yesterday, 80-59.
The result was entirely expected. Last season, UCLA reached the Final Four. They did so by playing almost exclusively six players, while the bench watched. Five of those six players returned for this season, so UCLA is going to be nearly impossible to beat, barring some sort of unforeseen disaster.
Because of a lack of playing time, some of the non-starters entered the transfer portal, including
former 5* recruit Avery Cain, who now plays for the Ducks.
It was an open question as to how Oregon would respond to playing one of the best teams in the nation. The answer? In the first half, the Ducks struggled and fell behind against a team that you just can’t fall behind like that and expect to win. In the second half, Oregon outscored UCLA, but it was never going to be enough to close the gap they created.
Ehis Etute was out in the game against Oregon State last week, and was listed as questionable yesterday, but came off the bench and was a difference-maker in this game.
“Ehis came in and did a great job today,” coach Kelly Graves said after the game. “She’s super strong and aggressive, and I think we’re just scratching the surface of how good she can be.”
UCLA had the edge in most categories, but really hurt the Ducks in rebounds – 52 to 29 – and had 40 points in the paint to 28 for Oregon.
Etude narrowly missed a double-double, leading the Ducks with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Katie Fiso also scored 14 points and Mia Jacobs finished with 11 points.
If nothing else, Oregon learned more about themselves when all was said and done after the game. “It just shows that we can play with them,” Graves said of his team’s second-half performance. “There aren’t many people going to come in and beat these guys here.”
The ladies are now 10-1 (0-1, Big-10). They have a week to rest and recouperate before hosting Montana State next Sunday at MKA. That game will tip off at 12:00 pm PT and can be seen on B1G+.
