Everything we know following Oregon’s nail-biting 70-66 win over Utah

Zachary Neel
·3 min read

Coming into this game, it felt like one that the Oregon Ducks shouldn’t have much trouble with. They were riding a 4-game winning streak and coming off two of the best wins we’ve seen from a Kelly Graves team in a long time. They jumped back into the AP Top-25 poll, coming in at No. 19, and had momentum on their side.

Maybe it was the 11 a.m. tip time? Maybe they were due for some regression. Whatever it was, though, the Ducks didn’t quite look the part in their 70-66 win over the Utah Utes on Wednesday morning.

All that matters, in the end, is a win, and they checked that box. They have now won 5-straight and will return to Matthew Knight Arena on Friday night to try and keep it rolling against UCLA. Here’s how it happened on Wednesday.

Final Score: Oregon 70, Utah 66

Oregon guard #12 Te-Hina Paopao moves the ball forward. The Oregon Ducks defeated the Arizona Wildcats 68-66 in overtime Saturday evening. Photo by Ethan Landa

Keys to the game

Photo by Ethan Landa

  • Both teams got off to a bit of a slow start in the game, which could be expected after an odd 11 a.m. tip that was due to the rescheduling nature. It was a combo of Endyia Rogers and Te-Hina Paopao early on for the Ducks, who combined for 11 points in the first quarter and helped give Oregon an 18-13 lead after 1 quarter.

  • Utah came to play in the second quarter, eventually going on a 9-0 run that gave them a 24-22 lead. Oregon would do its best to steady the ship late in the 2nd quarter, but ultimately entered the half down 29-28. The Ducks went just 1-for-14 from beyond the arc in the first half, and 11-for-32 from the field.

  • The Ducks came out with some fire in the 3rd quarter and were finally able to get some deep balls to drop. Nyara Sabally scored or assisted on the first 12 points of the half, and Oregon was able to build a small lead in the opening minutes.

  • Down the stretch, Utah kept fighting hard and had an answer for every basket that Oregon put up on offense. The Utes at one point were able to cut the Oregon lead to 2 with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

  • Utah ended up tying the game at 60-60 with just a couple of minutes left, but Sydney Parrish put up 5-straight points to give Oregon a little bit of cushion. In the end, the Ducks were able to hit enough of their free throws down the stretch and pull out a 70-66 win.

Players of the Game

  • Endyia Rogers: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

  • Te-Hina Paopao: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

  • Nyara Sabally: 15 points, 2 assists

  • Sydney Parrish: 13 points, 4 rebounds

What's Next?

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

The Ducks continue their stretch of 3 games in 5 days with a home-stand against the UCLA Bruins on Friday evening. That game will tip-off at 8 p.m.

1

1