Washington ends Oregon women’s season in WNIT quarterfinals

Edith Noriega, Salem Statesman Journal
·3 min read
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Oregon guard Te-Hina Paopao looks for room to move as the Oregon Ducks host the Washington Huskies Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon guard Te-Hina Paopao looks for room to move as the Oregon Ducks host the Washington Huskies Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.

It was a strong postseason journey for the Oregon women's basketball team that came to an end Sunday as the Ducks fell to Pac-12 rival Washington 63-59 in the WNIT Great 8 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

The Ducks were led by Te-Hina Paopao who scored a team-high 14 points and four assists, while Phillipina Kyei had 11 rebounds and nine points. As a team, they made 22-62 field goals, 8-28 from the 3-point range and 7-8 free throws.

After missing out on the NCAA Tournament, the Ducks (20-15) made the most of their WNIT berth with wins at home against North Dakota State, Rice and San Diego before facing Washington (19-14).

The Huskies were led by Elle Ladine, who scored a game-high 16 points, while Dalayah Daniels earned a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. As a team, Washington made 25-69 field goals, 3-19 from the 3-point range and made 10-16 free throws.

Both teams each committed 10 turnovers, but the Huskies were able to score 13 points off the turnovers compared to the Ducks' three.

Sunday's matchup marked the fourth showdown this season between Oregon and Washington, with the Ducks jumping to an early 21-13 lead in the first quarter.

The Huskies had other plans in the second quarter as they responded with seven straight points to cut the deficit to 21-20 on a layups from Lauren Schwartz and Daniels and then a three-pointer from Schwartz.

Oregon and Washington then went back-and-forth with three-straight ties of 25-25, 27-27 and 29-29, but the Huskies went into halftime with a 30-29 lead on a pair of free throws from Schwartz first to tie it and one from Hannah Stines for the lead.

The Huskies dominated the second quarter, shooting 17 points with Daniels handling six rebounds. Meanwhile, the Ducks committed six turnovers, four in the second quarter alone.

The Ducks took over the lead to start the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Endyia Rogers, but the Huskies tied it again 32-32 off a Ducks turnover.

The Huskies went on a 9-0 run, extending their lead 41-35 in the third. They eventually held their largest lead of the game - nine points - at the start of the fourth quarter.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Ducks cut the deficit to 52-51 on a pair of free throws from Grace Vanslooten, but the Huskies remained unfazed and scored eight straight points.

The Ducks responded with five straight points and again cut the deficit to 56-60 with 54 seconds left in the game, but the Huskies put the game out of reach on a pair of free throws from Haley Van Dyke. Chance Gray hit a 3-pointer for the Ducks as time expired. The Huskies will face Kansas in the WNIT Fab Four on Wednesday.

Edith Noriega is a sports and education reporter at the Statesman Journal. You may reach her at ENoriega@salem.gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Noriega_Edith.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Washington ends Oregon women’s basketball season in WNIT quarterfinals