Oregon Uses Defense to Grind Out 63-60 Win Over UCLA in Pac-12 Quarterfinals

The Ducks got two huge stops in the final minute to advance to the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.

First Quarter

With Maddie Scherr limited, the Ducks entered the Pac-12 Tournament with one of their consistent starters not totally healthy, opening the door for Sedona Prince to start in her stead.

Coming off a substantial victory over rival USC in the first round, the UCLA Bruins started the first quarter with an offensive intensity to make the UCLA legends of old proud. Jaelynn Penn was scorching the net in the first five minutes, connecting on three of her five shots from the floor, and leading the Bruins in scoring with seven.

Prince and company didn’t want to get out shown in their first appearance in Vegas, matching UCLA bucket for bucket as the first quarter progressed. Falling behind 12-9, the Ducks rallied quickly, scoring seven unanswered to regain the lead.

Penn’s scoring ways continued, as she sank another three to help put the Bruins up 17-16 at the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter

With the Bruins power duo of Ilmar’I Thomas and Charisma Osborne shooting a combined 2-10 to this point, Penn became the de facto first option and excelled when called upon. However, her scoring production would drop as Oregon focused on her defensively more and more.

UCLA’s scoring became more egalitarian with no one on the Bruins roster scoring more than three points.

The Ducks wouldn’t be outdone though, as All-Pac-12 selections Nyara Sabally and Endyia Rogers were affecting the court in every way possible. Rogers hit a much-needed three to bring the game back within Oregon’s reach, and Sabally dominated down low, scoring at will against a UCLA team that struggled to match the Ducks' size.

Te-Hina Paopao struggled with her shooting, but accurate quick passing enabled the offense to flow effectively around her, opening driving lanes for the Ducks' bigs, as Prince and Sabally scored eight apiece by the end of the second.

In what was easily the highest-scoring half of the tournament up to this point, the Bruins and Ducks scored a total of 63 points with the Bruins ahead 32-31.

Third Quarter

Out of the locker room, Thomas reminded everyone in Michelob Ultra Arena who she was and why she wasn’t someone to doubt regardless of her shaky start.

Thomas became a borderline unstoppable force as she recorded nine points in the third, doubling her production from the first half.

A dominant quarter from the Bruins followed, as they landed eight of their 14 attempts from the floor, alongside three of their five three-pointers. The Ducks were able to keep it within striking distance as the quarter came to a close, largely in part due to the efforts of Paopao.

Paopao was a different player out of the locker room, scoring at will from mid-range as well as continuing her exceptional passing.

Fourth Quarter

The Bruins held onto a shaky three-point lead despite an excellent offensive performance in the third quarter, but as the fourth quarter rolled around, the Ducks shook off the rust and took over the fourth.

Starting the final period on a 7-0 run put the Ducks ahead 57-53 as the trio of Paopao, Prince, and Sabally worked their magic together to shut down UCLA possessions and score with ease.

UCLA didn’t take kindly to a tough start and quickly fought its way back into the game. Thomas’s shot clock-beating three from NBA range gave the lead back to the Bruins with 4:19 left in regulation.

As clutch time rolled around, the clamps came out for both squads, with neither team giving up an inch in the final minutes. The stalemate broke as Rogers drew a foul to send her to the line. Rogers made both, and the Ducks had the lead again, 61-60.

With 23 seconds left, the energy in Michelob Ultra Arena was electrifying, as both Ducks and Bruins fans cheered and screamed to support their teams with a semifinal berth on the line.

The UCLA coaches turned to their star player with the game on the line, trusting Osborne to put the Bruins ahead, but Prince and Scherr were determined to play spoiler. They shut down every scoring opportunity and snagged the steal needed to give Oregon possession with only seconds left. Prince let out a scream as she hit the deck and drew the foul.

Scherr wasn’t expected to see much floor time tonight, but when called upon she delivered. In the seven minutes she played in the second half, she helped force UCLA into three turnovers that would position the Ducks to walk away with the win.

Sabally made both free throws in the clutch, providing the Ducks the three-point cushion needed to advance to the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.

Oregon will face the winner of the Utah-Washington State game Friday night at 8:30 p.m.

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