Coach Kelly Graves is still fine-tuning his roster rotation, but overall the Ducks looked promising on offense and dominant on defense. Redshirt sophomore Nyara Sabally earned her first start of the game and rewarded Graves with a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds—her first double-double as a Duck.
The combination of Sabally and Sedona Prince proved to be a powerful defensive force. The mere presence of one or both of these towering figures (Sabally is 6’5, Prince is 6’7) clogged up passing lanes and made the easy layup a much more complicated endeavor.
The Ducks used an 8-0 run to take an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but to Colorado’s credit, they did a good job containing the Oregon offense, especially in the first half where they finished trailing just 26 to 34.