Eugene, OR – The Oregon Ducks women’s team won their second straight game against an over-matched opponent, defeating Dixie State 84-35 at Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday evening. This was Oregon’s final tune-up before heading to the Bahamas for the Battle for Atlantis where they will face Oklahoma and likely top-rated South Carolina next weekend. Kylee Watson made her first start a memorable one as she made all eight of her shots from the field and scored 16 points and added four rebounds and three assists.
Ahlise Hurst led the way with 17 points and five assists. Hurst played a team-high 35 minutes due to the limited play of Te-Hina Paopao. Four other Ducks scored in double-figures with 6-8 frosh Phillipina Kyei registering a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sydney Parrish added 12 points and Sedona Prince and Chanaya Pinto added ten points each. Pinto added nine rebounds.
Oregon dominated from the start, running out to a 27-8 lead at the close of the first quarter. Watson received a start and connected for three early buckets. Kyei looks like she will be a force as the season progresses. She made her first four shots from the field to score eight points in the quarter. Starting point guard Paopao, coming off an injury, made her season debut playing three minutes in the quarter. However, she seemed to be favoring her leg as she came out and did not return. Nyara Sabally, Endiya Rogers and Taylor Bigby did not play due to injuries. Oregon was limited to an eight-player rotation from that point. The Ducks cooled off offensively in the second quarter, shooting only 5-of-17 from the field, including 1-of-4 on three-pointers. Dixie State connected on three 3s to make things somewhat interesting, but not enough to reduce Oregon’s lead as the Ducks took a 40-19 advantage into halftime. Watson was the only Duck in double-figures with ten points, making all five of her shots from the field. For the half Oregon shot 42.1 percent (16-of-38) from the field including 3-of-10 from deep. They had ten assists against only two turnovers.
The Ducks played efficiently in the third quarter, connecting on 10-of-16 shots as they took a 65-31 lead into the final stanza. Parrish (six points) and Hurst (5 points) led the way as the Ducks outscored Dixie State 25-12 in the quarter. The fourth quarter was more of the same as Oregon held Dixie State to four points. The highlight play of the quarter was a steal by Watson who took the ball coast-to-cast for a layup.
The Ducks shot only 45.9 percent (34-of-74) from the field and 25 percent (5-of-20) on three-pointers. However, they forced Dixie State into 21 turnovers while committing only three and had a 31-4 edge in points off turnovers. They also enjoyed a 51-8 edge in points in the paint and Oregon’s bench outscored Dixie State’s bench 42-1.
This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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