Box Score
EUGENE, Ore. --- ReZina TecleMariam led five Portland players in double figures with 20 points, but the Oregon Ducks were able to hold on for an 88-78 win in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (7-1) led almost from start to finish, but the Pilots (5-4) still made things interesting in the second half, despite a 13-point deficit at the break.
After Oregon pushed the lead to 18, Portland rallied to pull within four points twice. The first time came after a 17-5 run which made it a 63-59 game in Oregon’s favor with 11:27 to play. Kari Luttinen, Cassandra Brown and TecleMariam each had a three-pointer during the spurt.
The Pilots were still within four moments later when Brown hit a lay-up, but this time the Ducks responded to re-claim a double-digit (82-69) advantage with just 1:23 showing on the clock. The Pilots though refused to go away, and two three-pointers from Byrd and another by TecleMariam pulled UP within 82-78 with :19 left.
But Oregon responded by making its free throws to seal the win.
The Pilots, who shot 41.4 percent for the game, set a new program record with 15 three-pointers. TecleMariam hit six three’s en route to the team-high in points. Natalie Day and Brown each had 11 points, while Byrd and Luttinen each finished with 10. The 10 points are a career-high for Luttinen, a freshman out of Seattle.
Oregon shot 42.9 percent and was led by Amanda Johnson, who had 23 points and 13 rebounds. Jasmin Holliday added 20 points.
The Pilots opened the game just 1-for-10 from the floor, allowing the Ducks to jump out to an early 13-2 lead. But the shots would start falling for the Pilots, who had an 18-7 capped off by a three-pointer from Byrd that tied the score at 20-20 with 8:12 left in the half.
Oregon then reclaimed the lead, which was just two points after TecleMariam beat the shot clock with a long three-pointer. From there, the Ducks would end the half with a 16-5 run to take a 46-33 lead into the locker room.
The Pilots next have a few days off before traveling to Seattle for a pair of games next weekend. First on Friday, the Pilots are set to play the Washington Huskies at 7 p.m. at UW. Then on Sunday, the Seattle Redhawks will host the Pilots for a 12:30 p.m. tilt.
