Takeaways from Oregon women's dominating victory against No. 9 UConn

Antwan Staley, Register-Guard
·4 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

After its thrilling victory against then-No. 7 Arizona on Saturday, Oregon was looking to carry that momentum against another top 10 team, No. 9 Connecticut on Monday.

While many expected a closer contest, the result was never in doubt after the first quarter.

Oregon (10-5) rolled past UConn (9-4) 72-59 during a nationally televised game at Matthew Knight Arena in front of a crowd of 9,439.

Te-Hina Paopao led the Ducks in scoring as she registered 22 points on 7-for-17 shooting. Sedona Prince also added 14 points off the bench.

Reports: Oregon running back Travis Dye has entered transfer portal

The Huskies were shorthanded. They only played six players against the Ducks as they were without senior guard Christyn Williams due to COVID-19 protocols. No other players or staff were impacted, according to the school.

"This is a really good win," Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. "UConn is the standard by which every program is judged over the last 25-30 years. To beat them any time, regardless of the circumstances, is always a feather in the cap of your program."

Here are the takeaways from Oregon's second consecutive victory against a top 10 opponent.

3-point shot huge bonus for Oregon

Oregon entered the game against UConn first in the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting (37.7%). The Ducks proved why they've been so effective from long range.

Oregon converted 38% of its 3-point shots against UConn, with Paopao converting four of her nine attempts. This was particularly impressive because the Huskies perimeter defense has been solid this season.

"She is still not 100% but she plays with a passion and is very skilled," Graves said about Paopao. "I just love her confidence as she knows she's a great player and she's going out there and proving it.

"She proved it this weekend against two top-10 teams combining for 46 points on really good shooting."

Opponents only shot 28.1% from beyond the arc against UConn entering Monday's game. The 3-point shot has given Oregon another arsenal in its offense.

Oregon overcomes another slow start

Oregon's Nyara Sabally, center, battles UConn for the ball during the first half Jan. 17, 2022.
Oregon's Nyara Sabally, center, battles UConn for the ball during the first half Jan. 17, 2022.

Just like in Saturday's victory against Arizona, Oregon got off to a slow start. But it didn't take the Ducks long to overcome a double-digit hole.

UConn scored 10 unanswered points before Oregon registered a single bucket. Then the Ducks were able to hunker down defensively and hold the Huskies to just four points the rest of the quarter. That led to the Ducks going on a 15-4 run as they led by one to end the quarter.

After this point, Oregon didn't look back as it led the entire way after the second quarter.

Oregon's Chanaya Pinto, right, forces a turnover against UConn's Caroline Ducharme during the second half Jan. 17, 2022.
Oregon's Chanaya Pinto, right, forces a turnover against UConn's Caroline Ducharme during the second half Jan. 17, 2022.

"That's our problem at the beginning of games, we get down really early and we gotta dig ourselves out of that," Paopao said. "Coming into games next, we just have to lock in from the start and be better at the beginning of games instead of having that type of energy at the beginning."

Ducks get bad news

Nyara Sabally, Endyia Rodgers and Paopao all missed significant time during the season's first month due to injury. Monday was just the second time the Ducks have played with their full complement of players.

Not only did Paopao once again provide a spark offensively, but so did Prince as she scored 14 points in her second game back after testing positive for COVID-19. But now the Ducks may have to continue without one of their best players again.

In the fourth quarter, Sabally had her right leg rolled up after getting knocked down into Maddie Scherr. Sabally did not return to the game with the Ducks up by 20 points. She did return to the bench with ice on her knee.

Men's basketball: Oregon men's basketball makes history with win against No. 5 USC

Sabally has already dealt with an injury to her knee this season and missed seven games because of it. If she has to miss significant time again, this could be devastating for the Ducks.

"Nyara is a strong woman," Paopao said. "Seeing her go down — everyone just felt that energy when she went down. We just had to come together as a team and just come together.

"We just have to pray for the best for her and I know she will bounce back."

Oregon's Maddie Scherr, left, and Nyara Sabally, right, cover UConn's Aaliyah Edwards under the basket during the second half Jan. 17, 2022.
Oregon's Maddie Scherr, left, and Nyara Sabally, right, cover UConn's Aaliyah Edwards under the basket during the second half Jan. 17, 2022.

The Ducks were ranked 10th in the preseason AP poll. With Sabally, Paopao and Rodgers healthy, Oregon showed its potential against Arizona and now UConn. The Ducks have won three of their last four games, and their big three are also playing well during that stretch.

If Oregon remains healthy, they have proven it can be among the best teams in the Pac-12.

Up next

Oregon will return to the court Friday night in Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies (5-5, 0-2). Last weekend, the Huskies lost both of their games in Los Angeles to UCLA and USC.

The Ducks swept both meetings against the Huskies last season. Oregon will also play at Pullman Sunday against the Washington State Cougars.

Contact Register-Guard sportswriter Antwan Staley at astaley@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @antwanstaley.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon women's basketball's dominating victory against No. 9 UConn