EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks overwhelmed North Dakota State in the second quarter and the Bison couldn't recover Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks scored 16 consecutive points in the second frame to help build a 19-point halftime lead. That scoring spree vaulted Oregon to a 96-57 victory in the opening round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament before 2,703 fans.
“It’s great for our young players," Bison head coach Jory Collins said. "It was a great environment, a ton of fun to be in this arena with the music and the crowd and you’re playing against McDonal’s All-Americans on the floor. It’s a challenge. That’s why you compete and do these things.”
The Bison (18-12) were playing in the WNIT for the first time in women's basketball program history. Oregon (18-14) advanced to the second round of the tournament and are slated to host Rice on Monday at Matthew Knight Arena.
“I know our players will be able to use this experience as we go forward," Collins said.
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Senior guard Heaven Hamling paced the Bison with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Junior guard Te-Hina Paopao scored a game-high 24 points — including 6-for-7 shooting from 3-point range — to lead the Ducks. Oregon shot 57% (38 of 67) from the floor and 50% (13 of 26) from 3-point range. Senior guard Endyia Rogers finished with a triple-double for the Ducks with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Ducks started to pull away in the second quarter with a 16-0 run that pushed their lead to 20 points. Paopao helped fuel that run with five points, including a 3-pointer. Chance Gray capped the run with a transition layup that gave Oregon a 39-19 lead with 1:30 remaining in the first half.
“They’re length and athleticism kind of took over there," Collins said. “They were able to physically take us out of some things and we were a little careless a couple times and had some turnovers that led to easy baskets. That’s how you go on a quick run like that.”
The Ducks carried a 41-22 lead into halftime, shooting 53% (17 of 32) from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Paopao paced Oregon with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor in the opening half.
The Bison hung close early in the the second quarter, cutting the Oregon lead to 19-17 after a Taylor Brown basketball with 9:21 to play until halftime. The Ducks, however, countered with 20 of the next 22 points.
“We did a good job in the first quarter," Collins said. "I thought we came out and executed the way we anticipated them guarding us and did some good things.”
Hamling had 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor through the first two quarters to pace the Bison. NDSU shot 28% (9 of 32) from the floor in the first half.
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The Ducks kept rolling in the second half, scoring 55 points after halftime.
Bison freshman forward Elle Evans finished with 15 points and five rebounds.
“Our young players made some plays," Collins said. "Elle Evans made some great plays in a big-time game. ... You take these playing experiences against that kind of talent and use it to get better.”
NDSU 15 22 39 57
OU 19 41 70 96
NDSU (18-12): Hamling 7-16 0-0 16, Brown 4-13 2-2 10, Behnke 1-2 1-1 3, Evans 6-14 1-3 15, Schulte 1-7 2-2 4, Draper 1-1 0-0 2, Baldwin 0-0 0-0 0, Graham 0-5 0-0 0, Novak 0-1 0-0 0, Ekofo Yomane 1-1 0-2 2, Hildebrandt 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 23-65 6-10 57.
OREGON (18-14): Gray 6-13 3-4 16, Rogers 4-8 1-2 10, Paopao 9-11 0-0 24, Kyei 4-5 1-2 9, VanSlooten 5-10 2-2 12, Hanson 4-6 0-0 10, Hurst 4-10 0-0 11, Hosendove 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 38-67 7-10 96.
3-point goals: NDSU 5-18 (Hamling 2-5, Brown 0-4, Evans 2-3, Schulte 0-1, Graham 0-3, Hildebrandt 1-2), OU 13-26 (Gray 1-4, Rogers 1-4, Paopao 6-7, Hanson 2-4, Hurst 3-7).
Total fouls: NDSU 10, OU 9. Rebounds: NDSU 29 (Hamling 6), OU 42 (Rogers 11). Assists: NDSU 14 (Schulte 7), OU 26 (Rogers 11). Turnovers: NDSU 13, OU 11.
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