Oregon Routs Shorthanded No. 9 UConn 72-59

In a statement rarely uttered, UConn was dominated, with Oregon playing strong on both ends and leading by double digits for most of the game.

In front of more than 9,400 fans at Matthew Knight Arena, the Oregon Ducks (10-5, 2-1 Pac-12) thumped No. 9 UConn (9-4, 4-0 Big East) 72-59, sweeping their two-game stand against top 10 teams.

Pregame

UConn starting guard Christyn Williams did not play in this game, and while Paige Bueckers was still sidelined with a knee injury, she shot around pregame while wearing a brace on her left knee.

First Quarter

The Ducks came out of the gate looking sluggish on both sides, struggling with UConn's zone defense and their inside passing on offense. The Huskies made their first three field goals while the Ducks couldn't find the mark on their first five shots en route to an early 10-0 UConn lead.

A couple of threes by Sydney Parrish and Nyara Sabally got the Ducks right back in the game. UConn connected on four of its first five shots, but the Ducks stepped up their defensive pressure, knocking down just one of its next 12 shots to end the first quarter.

While the Huskies' offense stalled, the Ducks' offense found rhythm. The Ducks closed the opening period with a 7-0 run, with all seven points coming from Te-Hina Paopao. 

Second Quarter

Oregon kept on its roll offensively to start the second quarter, capitalizing on UConn's turnovers to score the first 11 points of the period — eight of which coming on Huskies turnovers.

For the second straight game, Sedona Prince took over off the bench, scoring 12 of Oregon's 24 second-quarter points. She got the Matthew Knight Arena crowd buzzing with an and-one layup, pumping her fist and letting out a scream.

Oregon shot an impressive 9-of-14 from the field in the second period and forced nine UConn turnovers in the period. The crowd was rocking as Phillipina Kyei swatted a Dorka Juhasz jumper as the first half buzzer sounded, and the Ducks led 39-24 at the half.

Third Quarter

Paopao stayed hot, calling glass on a banked three-pointer, laughing about the shot on her trek back to the other end of the floor.

Any time the Huskies made a run, the Ducks responded, looking like the alpha in this matchup as soon as they took the lead. UConn hit a couple of threes to cut the lead to 10, but a Maddie Scherr triple and Prince jumper kept the Ducks lead ballooning.

The Ducks brought out the hustle in the second half, diving on the floor for loose balls and slapping the ball away from UConn's ball-handlers. Sabally brought the fans to their feet with a steal and a coast-to-coast layup, and Maddie Scherr's steal and outlet pass led to a Endyia Rogers layup on the fast break to give the Ducks a 17-point lead — their biggest lead yet.

Oregon's defensive effort was on another level in this game and seemed to improve in each quarter, cutting in front of passes, contesting jumpers and forcing tough shots late in the shot clock.

After a hard fall, Paopao's two free throws gave the Ducks a 20-point lead, and Ahlise Hurst stepped in and splashed a three to extend the lead to 62-39. Evina Westbrook nailed a jumper just before the third quarter closed, but the Ducks' lead was 62-41 with just 10 minutes remaining.

Since Oregon trailed 10-0, the Ducks outscored the Huskies by 31 points in the next two and a half quarters.

Fourth Quarter

It was clear that whoever the Ducks inserted into the game, they were just the better team than UConn. The bench provided a huge lift for the Ducks' rally.

Chanaya Pinto came into the game, and Sabally found her for a layup on a backdoor cut. Hurst hit her second triple of the half, narrowly beating the shot clock horn. 

With 4:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, Scherr rolled into Sabally's right knee and she had to be helped off the floor. She returned minutes later to the bench with ice on her knee, but she would not return to the court.

Paopao splashed a dagger three, her fourth of the game to give her a team-high 22 points for the game. Caroline Ducharme scored 22 points for the Huskies to lead the way.

Oregon put together a well-balanced performance, holding UConn to just over 42% shooting from the field, including just 3-18 from downtown, and forcing 19 turnovers. The Ducks nailed nine three-pointers and got 28 points from their bench en route to a 72-59 win.

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