COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Oregon women's basketball team's comeback and upset bid fell short at No. 9 Ohio State Sunday, as the Buckeyes defeated the Ducks 69-60 at Schottenstein Center.The Ducks (12-5, 3-3) trailed by as many as 22 points in the game, but rallied to trim Ohio State's lead to just eight points with under a minute to play in the game. Oregon was unable to get any closer, however, as the Ducks finished the game by making just one of their final 12 field goal attempts.Oregon was outscored in only one quarter, with the Buckeyes winning the second quarter 31-11 due in large part to a 27-point run. The run helped erase a five-point UO lead early in the second, as OSU took a 17-point lead into halftime."We played harder in that second half," said UO head coach Kelly Graves. "We played with a little more intensity, and we took care of the ball. In that second quarter, we lost our poise. You lose a quarter by 20 and you're running uphill the rest of the game."Nani Falatea and Amina Muhammad led UO with 11 points apiece, with Deja Kelly adding 10. For Falatea, it was her fifth straight game in double figures, as she led the team with a pair of 3-pointers. Ohio native Peyton Scott finished with seven points to go with a season-high eight rebounds, and Phillipina Kyei chipped in eight points and eight boards.As a team, Oregon went 3-of-17 from the 3-point line while Ohio State finished 5-for-18. UO outscored the Buckeyes in the second half 38-30 while committing just two turnovers. Oregon shot 41 percent from the floor in the second half compared to 31 percent in the first."I'm proud of our players, I really am," added Graves. "We could've just laid over and we didn't. Our kids continued to fight."How It Happened: The Ducks missed their first five field goals of the game until Elisa Mevius knocked down a 3-pointer nearly four minutes into the game, giving UO an early 3-2 lead. From there, Oregon hit four of its next five field goals in putting together a seven-point spurt. Muhammad paced the team with four points, while the Ducks held OSU to 4-for-21 (19 percent) shooting in the quarter and led 11-8 after the first quarter.Alexis Whitfield scored the first four Oregon points of the second quarter, giving the Ducks a 15-10 lead just over a minute into the frame. But the Buckeyes responded by scoring the next 27 points to claim a 37-15 advantage. The streak was snapped on a 3-pointer by Falatea that led to seven straight Oregon points to help cut the halftime deficit to 39-22.The Ducks committed seven of their 11 first-half turnovers in the second quarter, leading to 13 OSU points. Oregon's offense went 3-for-13 from the floor in the second quarter while shooting just 31 percent in the half (8-for-26). Ohio State had a 25-18 rebounding edge in the half and held a 15-4 lead in second-chance points.Both offenses got into gear in the third quarter, with the Ducks connecting on six straight shots at one point while the Buckeyes made their first six shots of the half. UO shot 64 percent (9-of-14) for the quarter, but Ohio State shot 75 percent (9-for-12) as the teams each scored 21.Kelly accounted for eight Duck points in the third, while Muhammad added five and Kyei four.A 9-0 run in the early stages of the fourth quarter brought the Ducks within 10 points at 62-52. The gap remained at 10 as the game went approached the 3:00 mark when a pair of Muhammad free throws got the Ducks within eight points.UO again trimmed the deficit to eight points and had possession of the ball with 40.7 seconds to play in the game, and again gained possession with 18.8 to go. Oregon was unable to cut into OSU's lead from there, as the Buckeyes withstood the Ducks' rally to remain unbeaten."This was a long road trip, it's going to end up being a full week on the road," Graves said. "It'll be nice to be home now, I think we have three in a row at home."Up Next: The Ducks return to Matthew Knight Arena on Wednesday to host Purdue (6 p.m. PT, B1G+).

Comeback Bid Falls Short at No. 9 Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Oregon women’s basketball team’s comeback and upset bid fell short at No. 9 Ohio State Sunday, as the Buckeyes defeated the Ducks 69-60 at Schottenstein Center.UO again trimmed the deficit to eight points and had possession of the ball with 40.7 seconds to play in the game, and again gained possession […]

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Oregon women’s basketball team’s comeback and upset bid fell short at No. 9 Ohio State Sunday, as the Buckeyes defeated the Ducks 69-60 at Schottenstein Center.UO again trimmed the deficit to eight points and had possession of the ball with 40.7 seconds to play in the game, and again gained possession with 18.8 to go. Oregon was unable to cut into OSU’s lead from there, as the Buckeyes withstood the Ducks’ rally to remain unbeaten.A 9-0 run in the early stages of the fourth quarter brought the Ducks within 10 points at 62-52. The gap remained at 10 as the game went approached the 3:00 mark when a pair of Muhammad free throws got the Ducks within eight points.Oregon was outscored in only one quarter, with the Buckeyes winning the second quarter 31-11 due in large part to a 27-point run. The run helped erase a five-point UO lead early in the second, as OSU took a 17-point lead into halftime.Alexis Whitfield scored the first four Oregon points of the second quarter, giving the Ducks a 15-10 lead just over a minute into the frame. But the Buckeyes responded by scoring the next 27 points to claim a 37-15 advantage. The streak was snapped on a 3-pointer by Falatea that led to seven straight Oregon points to help cut the halftime deficit to 39-22.The Ducks committed seven of their 11 first-half turnovers in the second quarter, leading to 13 OSU points. Oregon’s offense went 3-for-13 from the floor in the second quarter while shooting just 31 percent in the half (8-for-26). Ohio State had a 25-18 rebounding edge in the half and held a 15-4 lead in second-chance points.”This was a long road trip, it’s going to end up being a full week on the road,” Graves said. “It’ll be nice to be home now, I think we have three in a row at home.”Kelly accounted for eight Duck points in the third, while Muhammad added five and Kyei four.Up Next: The Ducks return to Matthew Knight Arena on Wednesday to host Purdue (6 p.m. PT, B1G+).
How It Happened: The Ducks missed their first five field goals of the game until Elisa Mevius knocked down a 3-pointer nearly four minutes into the game, giving UO an early 3-2 lead. From there, Oregon hit four of its next five field goals in putting together a seven-point spurt. Muhammad paced the team with four points, while the Ducks held OSU to 4-for-21 (19 percent) shooting in the quarter and led 11-8 after the first quarter.Both offenses got into gear in the third quarter, with the Ducks connecting on six straight shots at one point while the Buckeyes made their first six shots of the half. UO shot 64 percent (9-of-14) for the quarter, but Ohio State shot 75 percent (9-for-12) as the teams each scored 21.“I’m proud of our players, I really am,” added Graves. “We could’ve just laid over and we didn’t. Our kids continued to fight.””We played harder in that second half,” said UO head coach Kelly Graves. “We played with a little more intensity, and we took care of the ball. In that second quarter, we lost our poise. You lose a quarter by 20 and you’re running uphill the rest of the game.”Nani Falatea and Amina Muhammad led UO with 11 points apiece, with Deja Kelly adding 10. For Falatea, it was her fifth straight game in double figures, as she led the team with a pair of 3-pointers. Ohio native Peyton Scott finished with seven points to go with a season-high eight rebounds, and Phillipina Kyei chipped in eight points and eight boards.As a team, Oregon went 3-of-17 from the 3-point line while Ohio State finished 5-for-18. UO outscored the Buckeyes in the second half 38-30 while committing just two turnovers. Oregon shot 41 percent from the floor in the second half compared to 31 percent in the first.The Ducks (12-5, 3-3) trailed by as many as 22 points in the game, but rallied to trim Ohio State’s lead to just eight points with under a minute to play in the game. Oregon was unable to get any closer, however, as the Ducks finished the game by making just one of their final 12 field goal attempts.