Oregon Trudges Past Cal 52-47 in Tense Friday Night Showdown

Te-Hina Paopao and Endyia Rogers combined for 26 points in the Ducks' narrow win.

First Quarter

There seemed to be a lid on the basket Friday night, as a series of empty possessions by both teams kept the score deadlocked at zero for nearly three minutes. Endyia Rogers broke the stalemate as she made a nifty layup despite falling. But once that seal was broken, Cal went on a 6-0 run led by Dalayah Daniels and Evelien Lutje Schipholt.

Fouls on consecutive possessions gave Cal four free points to maintain its six-point lead. Sedona Prince checked in around the five-minute mark and provided an immediate impact offensively and defensively for the Ducks, sinking a jumper, a pair of free throws, and forcing Cal into unnecessary turnovers.

The Ducks took over at the end of the first quarter, nabbing a one-point lead off of a Rogers steal that led to Ahlise Hurst’s first basket of the night. As the half came to a close, Prince blocked Daniels empathically to get the Matthew Knight Arena crowd out of their seats.

Second Quarter

An 8-2 run by the Ducks to start the second quarter put them solely in the driver’s seat for the first six minutes of the quarter. While the offense was good, the defense was better.

Hurst tallied five steals in the second quarter alone. You read that right, FIVE. While Rogers and Prince were the MVPs of the first quarter, the second quarter was all Hurst’s as she shut down possession after possession for the Bears.

Once Hurst was off the court, the Golden Bears began to fight back, bringing the game back within two, as Cal’s Jazlen Green sank the lone made three of the first half for the Golden Bears. The Ducks finished the quarter the same way they ended the first, with Prince and Rogers leading a quick offensive run to put the Ducks up six at half.

Third Quarter

There was a sense of déjà vu at Matt Knight as the second half began. In an almost beat for beat reflection of the first, the Golden Bears outscored the Ducks 8-2 early on, cutting into Oregon’s six-point cushion and tying the game.

This time, however, the Ducks couldn’t fix their stalling offense. Cal continued to attack the basket and pressure Oregon into costly turnovers that would kill all potential momentum. Kylee Watson committed two fouls in quick succession, and the Golden Bears would capitalize, as they regained the lead for the first time since the first quarter at 31-30 with 1:50 left to play in the third.

A much needed layup by Phillipina Kyei broke Oregon’s almost five-minute field goal droug and flipped the lead in Oregon's favor once again.

Despite the offensive woes throughout the third quarter, the last minute of the quarter opened up wonderfully for a Ducks team that couldn’t seem to shake the Golden Bears. Te-Hina Paopao took a trip to the charity stripe, sinking one and missing the other, but Kyei leaped up to score the second chance basket. Kyei’s effort and energy in the final few minutes helped solidify the Ducks lead once again.

Fourth Quarter

The start of the fourth was an offensive blitz as the teams traded basket for basket without fail. Prince nailed a pair of mid-range jumpers, just to be answered by Jayda Curry’s three.

Three-point shooting was nonexistent for the Ducks tonight, and it’s where Cal would find its avenue back in. Despite only one make in the first half, Cal connected on two to start the fourth, and it would make Oregon’s lead all the more shaky.

Curry, the Pac-12's leading scorer, had been fairly unproductive, and despite a solid year from the free throw line, missed both shots that would have cut the deficit to one. Despite scoring nearly 20 points per game this season, Curry's lack of productivity was quickly becoming an issue for a Cal team that was in striking distance all night.

With less than a minute to go and the Ducks leading 49-45, Prince was called for an offensive foul, giving the Golden Bears the opportunity to close the gap again. A defensive foul on Prince sent Ugonne Onyiah to the line, where she missed both shots. Cal missed six free throws in the final period.

With 12 seconds left, Onyiah brought the game within three thanks to a second-chance layup. As all close basketball games do, it came down to clutch free throws for the Ducks to put the game away. Prince sank both of her attempts, putting the game away 52-47.

The Ducks' final home game of the season will be Senior Night on Sunday, where they’ll face the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal.

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