Oregon Ducks WBB cruises past Virginia Tech in NCAA tournament
· Yahoo Sports
The Oregon Ducks' women's basketball team didn't waste any time getting their March Madness run started.
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Oregon pounced on Virginia Tech early on and never let go of the lead, leading nearly wire-to-wire and taking down the Hokies, 70-60, in the first round of the Fort Worth regional in the NCAA Tournament.
Katie Fiso paced the Ducks' offense with 22 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field and working effectively from mid-range. She also added four assists and two blocks. Ehis Etute cleaned up in the paint, adding 11 points and 11 rebounds. Mia Jacobs also added 13 points with a trio of three-pointers.
The Ducks thrived in the paint, both offensively and defensively. They outscored the Hokies 34-16 down low and were physical defensively with 44 rebounds and five blocks.
The Hokies couldn't find much luck shooting in the game. Carys Baker was the only Hokie who scored in double-figures, scoring 18 points and pulling in 14 rebounds in the loss. No other Virginia Tech player scored more than eight points.
Kelly Graves sent his Ducks out to start the game with a rapid pace of play. The Ducks used a 17-4 run down the stretch of the first quarter to build a 22-11 lead. A big edge on the defensive glass helped Oregon overcome four early turnovers and take the momentum. The Ducks shot 71% from the field in the first 10 minutes and dominated in the paint.
The Hokies didn’t stay dormant for long. After going over six minutes without a made field goal to end the first, Virginia Tech came alive in the second, quickly trimming a 13-point deficit to just four points. The Hokies did a good job of spreading the ball around as ten different players scored in the game.
Oregon took a 35-29 lead into the locker room thanks to some timely mid-range shots from Fiso, who led the way with 10 points in the first half. The lead for the Ducks could’ve been much bigger, but seven turnovers and a dry spell from the field in the second quarter let the Hokies back into the game.
Etute and Fiso led Oregon on a 10-0 run to start the second half as the Ducks quickly recreated some distance, eventually leading by as many as 22 points. Jacobs had to temporarily leave the floor after getting a bloody chin when she took a hard fall, but that was all the adversity the Ducks faced in the quarter, taking a commanding 55-40 lead into the final quarter.
The Ducks had enough of a lead to hold off a late rally by the Hokies in the final quarter. Oregon held Virginia Tech to just 32% shooting from the field in the game and outscored the Hokies 35-31 in the second half, which looks closer than the game truly was thanks to some garbage-time buckets.
Oregon's scoring outburst should give the Ducks plenty of confidence moving into the next round, where they will face the winner of No. 1 seed Texas and No. 16 seed Missouri State on Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon WBB dominates Virginia Tech in first round of NCAA tournament