No. 10 Oregon Women's Basketball Upsets No. 7 Vanderbilt in NCAA Tournament First Round
No. 10 Oregon basketball advanced into the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament upsetting No. 7 Vanderbilt 77-73 in overtime. The Ducks sharpshooting seized the lead early and the Big 10 squad slowly stretched control before a huge Commodore comeback forced overtime.
Deja Kelly led the Ducks scoring 20 points, securing eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals, scoring 14 in the second half and overtime as the senior willed her team to the next round.
Oregon was able to swell its lead to 19 points midway through the third quarter, but the Commodores never gave up. Vanderbilt closed the Ducks lead to just five with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter after a 10-2 brought the game back into doubt.
Vanderbilt's fantastic freshman Mikayla Blakes led all scorers with 26 points but was only 1 of 4 from 3-point range and got into foul trouble late, limiting her usage in the fourth quarter but the plays she made gave the game new life.
Blakes sparked an 8-0 run with a jumper and two free throws, Commodores guard Leilani Kapinus then cut the Oregon lead to four with 2:06 to play and then Blakes forced a steal and found Khamil Pierre for an and-one to bring Vanderbilt to within one in the final minute.
Pierre fouled out in the final minute of regulation but ultimately scored 17 points with six rebounds, two steals and an assist.
A Kelly free throw extended the lead to two but unfortunately, Blakes committed a turnover in the final 30 seconds sending Sofia Bell to the free throw line. Bell gave the 'Dores new life by missing both free throws and Kapinus responded with a layup to tie the game with four seconds left sending the teams to overtime.
Justin Pissott gave Vanderbilt its first lead since the first quarter with her first made shot of the game, a 3-pointer but the lead was short lived. Iyana Moore made her first shot of the night with 1:39 left in overtime to retie the lead again as the 'Dores leaned on unsung heroes.
Blakes ultimately fouled out with 54 seconds to play on an offensive foul and Kapinus was right behind her fouling out with 42 seconds remaining, hampering the Commodores' chances to compete in the final minute.
Oregon's Peyton Scott stepped up and made two free throws to stretch the Ducks' lead to four with seven seconds left icing the game and sending Vanderbilt home.
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My name is Joe Gaither and I graduated from the University of Alabama in 2018. I began my sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 I began my career with On SI writing and covering predominantly college athletics with a focus on the University of Alabama, University of Missouri and Vanderbilt.