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Oregon dominates 4th quarter to beat Washington and advance in Pac-12 women's tourney

chris hansen, register-guard
·4 min read
Oregon players celebrate their victory over Washington after the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Oregon players celebrate their victory over Washington after the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.

Oregon’s trip to Las Vegas has been extended for at least one more day.

Endyia Rogers made sure of that.

The senior guard rallied her team in the fourth quarter and the No. 9-seeded Ducks survived a frantic final minute to defeat No. 8 Washington 52-50 on Wednesday in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Rogers scored 28 and had a career-high 11 rebounds as she helped Oregon (17-13) advance to a quarterfinal game against No. 1 Stanford at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Rogers scored 10 in the final 4:46 as the Ducks overcame a seven-point deficit to take a one-point lead, 51-50, into the last minute.

Washington missed on two attempts to hit the go-ahead shot before Oregon went up by two on a free-throw by Chance Gray with 2.9 seconds to play.

Oregon center Phillipina Kyei, left, and Washington forward Haley Van Dyke (11) vie for the ball during the second half of the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Oregon center Phillipina Kyei, left, and Washington forward Haley Van Dyke (11) vie for the ball during the second half of the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.

On their final play, the Huskies’ Trinity Oliver missed on a jumper as 6-foot-8 Phillipina Kyei contested the shot.

“We’re very fortunate that we were able to win that game,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “It was a well-played game by both teams. Exciting, anyway. But in the end I’m really proud that we were the ones that showed the composure down the stretch.”

The victory was the third straight for the Ducks, who will play a quarterfinal game at the conference tournament for the seventh straight season.

It’s also the first time in eight tries that Oregon won a tournament game when it’s been seeded between No. 8-No. 12.

Washington guard Hannah Stines, left, and Oregon guard Endyia Rogers battle for the ball during the second half of the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Washington guard Hannah Stines, left, and Oregon guard Endyia Rogers battle for the ball during the second half of the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.

Te-Hina Paopao scored 13 for the Ducks as she and Rogers combined for 41 of the Ducks’ 52 points and 17 of their 20 made field goals.

“They showed great leadership,” Graves said. “In the end, sure, we’d like more contributors, but at this point in the season you don’t really care. We just want to survive and play another day.”

Oregon trailed 43-36 when Kyei made a pair of free throws with 6:19 to play to ignite a 9-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Paopao at the 3:27 mark to give the Ducks a 45-43 advantage.

Then Rogers took over, scoring three straight baskets to keep Oregon ahead 51-50 going into the last minute.

The Ducks’ finish looked a lot like their start.

Oregon guard Te-Hina Paopao (12) and guard Chance Gray (2) react after a three-point basket against Washington during the second half of the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Oregon guard Te-Hina Paopao (12) and guard Chance Gray (2) react after a three-point basket against Washington during the second half of the game in the first round of the Pac-12 women's tournament Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.

They got out to an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter while making five of their first eight shots from the field.

Then just as quickly, Oregon’s offense went cold.

The Ducks made just 2-of-15 from the field over a stretch of 12:55, allowing the Huskies to go on a 23-6 run and build a 25-17 advantage.

Oregon got back on track in the final minutes of the second quarter, sparked by 3-pointers from Rogers and Paopao, to cut its deficit to two points, 29-27, heading into halftime.

Oregon was at full strength Wednesday as Grace VanSlooten returned from an ankle injury that kept her on the sideline for the previous three games.

The freshman forward came off the bench for the first time this season and was restricted to 14 minutes as Oregon attempts to ease her back into the lineup. She finished with two points and one rebound.

“It was just great to get her some minutes,” Graves said. “Just for her to get out and sweat and be back on the court with her teammates was really important.”

Next up is Stanford (27-4), which beat the Ducks 62-54 on Jan. 29 in the only meeting this season between the teams. Oregon shot just 25% in that game, making 20-of-80 attempts from the field. Ten of those misses were blocks by Cameron Brink, the Pac-12 defensive player of the year.

It’ll be a challenge, conceded Graves, who said it’ll take a multi-faceted effort to beat the Cardinal.

“That’s the thing about Stanford, it’s not just one or two things you have to do well, you have to do well in about five or six,” Graves said. “They are so talented, so confident in this tournament.”

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

Up Next

Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals: Oregon vs. Stanford

2:30 p.m., Thursday at Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas. TV: Pac-12 Networks. Radio: KUGN-FM (98.1); KUGN-AM (590)

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks moving on with Pac-12 Tournament win against Washington