When’s the rematch?
Oregon showed Stanford that it may be in a rebuild, but that the Ducks are still a very formidable opponent and then some.
Stanford had to outscore the Ducks 28-14 in the quarter in order to defeat No. 11 Oregon 70-63 at Santa Cruz Friday afternoon.
The Ducks played with the Cardinal for the majority of the game. Take away a few minutes and we may be talking about a stunning upset.
Sydney Parrish, who is leading a group of freshmen that is absolutely not phased by the big stage, led the Ducks with 14 points. Te-Hina Paopao added 12 with Nyara Sabally and Erin Boley each scoring 10.
Boley was hampered all day long with foul trouble that limited her playing time, one of the issues the Ducks faced on this day.
Haley Jones led Stanford with 18 points with Kiana Williams adding 14 and Anna Wilson pouring in 10.
It was Oregon’s defensive effort that caused turmoil within the Cardinal’s offensive rhythm as Stanford uncharacteristically turned the ball over 17 times.
Oregon probably played its best half of basketball in the first 20 minutes of action as the Ducks led 33-32 at halftime.
But Stanford finally played like Stanford in that decisive third quarter as it was aggressive on both sides of the floor. Hitting shots also helped.
The Cardinal shot just 43 percent for the game, but in that third quarter, they shot 61 percent.
Even as they were down by double digits, Oregon never folded the tent.
Down by 15 at the beginning of the fourth, Parrish scored eight points and the Ducks held Stanford scoreless for a five minute stretch. However, both teams went scoreless for a good 3:30 and Oregon just couldn’t cut into the Cardinal lead.
The closest they came was 66-61 with 57 seconds remaining.
With two straight losses, the Ducks turn their attention to Cal, who has yet to win a game at 0-9.
And that rematch with the Cardinal? Circle Feb. 15 on the calendar. That’s when Stanford comes to Matthew Knight Arena.
POST GAME; KELLY GRAVES TALKS ABOUT THE LOSS TO STANFORD