“Way better basketball tonight,” Head Coach June Daugherty said. “I was proud of our ball club. I thought we really moved the basketball, shared it, put ourselves in situations to get some really good looks against their zone and that was exciting to see.”
The Cougars dominated the first half with a 40.5 shooting percentage. WSU held the Ducks to a shooting percentage of just 28.6.
WSU started the game with a three-point shot made in the first minute by senior guard Rosetta Adzasu.
Adzasu’s shot created a 9-0 run for the Cougar women that allowed them to control the court the first four minutes of play.
Oregon responded at 15:54 with a jumper followed by a layup at 15:08 to close the scoreboard gap to 9-4 WSU.
WSU countered with a jumper made by senior guard Jazmine Perkins.
The Ducks then tried to implement a run at 14:30 when they sank a jumper and two minutes later a layup.
With the game at this point being only a one-possession difference between the two teams, freshman forward and center Shalie Dheensaw made a jumper to widen the Cougar lead.
Gaining momentum from the jumper, WSU went on an 18-6 run that at 7:20 put the Cougar women a game high of 14 points ahead of the Ducks.
The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the first half, with Oregon closing the scoreboard gap to nine points. When both teams went into the lock room the score stood at 36-27 WSU.
“I think (WSU) felt pretty confident coming out,” Daugherty said. “We thought it was really important to come back out in the second half and have a good start. … Just keep the offensive flow going that I felt like we had in the first half.”
Coming out of the half, Oregon scored first with a jumper. The Cougars countered with a three-point shot made by sophomore guard and forward Sage Romberg.
Romberg’s shot did not deter the Ducks however, as they came back with a three point shot of their own 20 seconds later.
A battle erupted on the court for superiority in the game. With both teams not allowing the other to get into a run.
The struggle lasted from 16:06 to 4:05 and featured Oregon scoring five three-point shots allowing them to take the lead 58-56 Oregon.
The Cougars fought hard to regain the lead with a three point shot made at 2:08 by Adzasu and a jumper 30 seconds later from junior center Carly Noyes.
Oregon responded with another three-point shot to gain back scoreboard control at 1:00 remaining in the game and bring the score to 63-61 Oregon.
All points made in the last minute of play were the result of Oregon being sent to the free throw line, sealing their victory.
“Well we out-rebounded them, we out shot them but where we lost the game when you look at the stat sheets is the free throw line,” Daugherty said. “They were 13-15 we were 1-2. So they were able to get the line a little bit more than we were but that’s part of basketball.”
The Cougar women will head on the road next week to play against Arizona and Arizona State. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. Thursday against the Arizona Wildcats.
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Women's basketball
