Ducks stay short vs. No. 1 Stanford

SANTA CRUZ, California – No. 11 Oregon became the first team this season to take the lead at halftime against No. 1 Stanford, but the Cardinal used a big third period to win, 70-63, on Friday afternoon at Keizer Permanente Arena .

“At the end of the day, I was very proud of my team,” said the head coach Kelly Graves. “I really was. I thought we fought these guys to the end.”

The Ducks (8-2, 6-2) failed to recover from last Sunday’s defeat to UCLA with a win, but Graves’ young team emerged as the aggressor against the country’s top-ranked team and continued fighting in the final stretch being exceeded by 28-14 in the third quarter.

“I think we learned a lesson,” said Graves. “If we had played so hard last week against UCLA, we would win by double digits. So, at least, as far as I’m concerned, we’ve learned a lesson. Now we just have to figure out how to take that to the next level and beat these teams. “

How did this happen: Two baskets per Erin Boley and one of Nyara Sabally fueled a 6-0 run that gave Oregon an 8-5 lead in the middle of the first, and Te-Hina Paopao followed another jumping boley with a three point to make 17-11. Stanford (10-0, 8-0) reduced the Ducks’ lead to three, but Maddie Scherr won the first quarter bell with a deep triple to put Oregon in six after the first 10 minutes.

Taylor Chavez – back on the team after losing last weekend due to a family issue – dropped a three to increase Oregon’s lead to seven, but Stanford responded quickly with a straight five to make it a two-point game. After a jump Taylor Mikesell achieved a four point OU advantage, the cardinal hit six consecutive points to move forward, 32-30. But the Ducks kept Stanford goalless in the last two and a half minutes of the first half, and Sydney Parrish buried a wide-open three to send Oregon into the locker room with a one-point advantage over the nation’s top-ranked team.

Boley and Sabally took the Ducks out of range with a bucket each, but Stanford scored six straight to move forward, 40-37. A jump from Sabally and a triple from Paopao put Oregon back in front in the middle of the third, but Stanford responded again, this time with a 9-0 streak. After Mikesell’s baskets and Angela Dugalic cut Oregon’s deficit to four, the cardinal made another set of 9-0 to gain a 13-point lead in the fourth period.

Stanford opened the final period with a pair of baskets to push his lead to 17, but those were the only two field goals in the fourth for the cardinal, while Oregon increased its defensive intensity. Parrish managed an 8-0 streak that reduced the deficit to nine, but unfortunately it was three and a half minutes before the Ducks’ next goal.

Losing nine with just over a minute to play, Mikesell converted a lay-in and Boley followed with a steal and a bucket to make the game five points. The Ducks landed a blow outside the time limit and seemed to have a chance to make a game from a scoreboard, but a temporary call returned the ball to Stanford and the Cardinal hit free throws to freeze the game.

Who stood out: Parrish led the Ducks with 14 points, driven by his 8-0 run in the fourth quarter. Paopao finished with 12 points, and Boley and Sabally with 10. Sabally led Oregon with 11 rebounds for the third double-double of the season.

Remarkable: Oregon lost consecutive games for the first time since February 2019 … Four Ducks scored in double digits; Oregon had at least three double-digit scorers in every game this season … Oregon was centerless Sedona Prince (injury) for the third game in a row.

Next: Oregon will face California at Berkeley at 1pm PT on Sunday (Pac-12 Network).