Just when the No. 23 Oregon women’s basketball team needed it Wednesday night, Phillipina Kyei stepped up in a 70-68 win over Auburn at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Duck senior, who has been working her way back into playing shape after an offseason injury, played a season-high 21 minutes and notched her first double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and hauling in 11 rebounds in the win.
Kyei started her first game Wednesday and played over 20 minutes for the first time this season for the Ducks (6-0).
“For us to be at our best, (Kyei) has to be a huge part of it,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “It was just time to put her back in that lineup and she delivered tonight. It was great to see. We’re a different team when she’s on the court.
“She was the best post on the floor tonight. That confidence is going to help her to grow.”
Kyei led the Ducks with 14 points, but Peyton Scott added a big 13 points in the first half and Elisa Mevius had a quiet nine points, four rebounds and a steal, hitting a righty-scoop layup with under 30 seconds to play that helped seal it.
Scott said Kyei’s presence in the paint and her ability to operate in the pick and roll was a huge factor outside her double-double.
“I know in practice when I see her I get a little scared,” Scott said with a laugh. “That’s a big one for us. Her presence and just knowing if we don’t do our job she’s going to be down there.”
Though Kyei played a bit over her minutes restriction of exactly 21 minutes, playing an extra 37 seconds on top of that Wednesday, the senior said she was feeling good after the game and knew she needed to bring the energy to help Oregon keep its unbeaten start alive.
“Whenever I show that much emotion it gets my teammates going and they know what time it is,” Kyei said.
What’s next for Oregon women’s basketball?
The Ducks leave Thursday morning for their first road trip of the season in Hawaii, where they will first play Georgia Tech on Monday in a neutral-site contest at 5 p.m. PT. Oregon will then play the following day against South Dakota State at 4 p.m. PT.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Phillipina Kyei’s big game helps Oregon stay unbeaten vs. Auburn
