In perhaps its most impressive two-game stretch of the season after a disappointing loss to USC, the Oregon women’s basketball team demolished UC Irvine Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena, 71-43.
Sixth-year guard Peyton Scott, a former Miami of Ohio transfer, scored her 2,000th career point in the win, with most of that coming during a standout four years in Ohio. Still, the guard was appreciative of her time playing and scoring there, and in 12 games at Oregon so far, including 11 this season after a season-ending injury last year.
“It’s a super cool feat just because I was able to do it with so many teammates and so many different coaches. I was blessed to be able to do it at two different institutions,” Scott said. “Being here just shows you how many great people I’ve been surrounded by and I’m just grateful I was put in positions to excel with those around me.”
Scott hit her 2,000th point a bit unceremoniously, getting fouled early in the second quarter before drilling a free throw. But she was celebrated to a standing applause nonetheless and honored with fist bumps and high-fives after the game by teammates for the accomplishment.
The Ducks (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten) were led by Scott’s nine points, with Katie Fiso again scoring in double figures with 11 points and Alexis Whitfield adding 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists off the bench. Deja Kelly, despite struggling with her shot once again, dished out six assists in the blowout win and nonconference closer.
“We just wanted to build momentum,” Scott said. “It wasn’t really about who we were playing. For us it was more about how we can get better and what we needed to do night-in and night-out just to be the best team that we can be going into the Big Ten.”
Oregon women’s bench puts up 99 points in two-game stretch
After scoring 51 bench points against Air Force on Tuesday, the Ducks followed that up with 48 more bench points against the Anteaters.
Fiso and Whitfield led the way, but Ari Long added another six points and six rebounds off the bench. Posts Sarah Rambus and Ehis Etute were two more pluses off the bench, scoring 15 combined points.
“Good production off the bench,” coach Kelly Graves said, “When your first unit isn’t doing what they should, then it’s nice to know you’ve got some depth, some people to put in to get us going.”
It’s the second straight game Oregon’s bench has outscored its starters, which Graves said was a positive, but still left room to improve for his starting unit, and his seniors especially.
“We’ve got to get our seniors to step it up,” Graves said. “I don’t know any other way to put it. They just have to be better, because we need them. We need their experience, we need their toughness, we need obviously the production … I like what we’ve seen from our crew.”
Kelly, Oregon’s star pickup from North Carolina and a three-time All-ACC selection, shot 1 for 9 from the field and scored just two points. Phillipina Kyei, who is still working her way back from an offseason injury, was held off the scoreboard but had nine rebounds in 14 minutes. Along with Scott and Whitfield, who have struggled at times to shoot this season, Graves said that group is needed if Oregon wants to make a run through the Big Ten in its first season in the conference.
The Ducks will take nearly 10 days off before returning to the floor in their first true road game of the season against Illinois on Dec. 28 and then on the road again against Northwestern Dec. 31. Oregon returns to Eugene on Jan. 4 to play Wisconsin.
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: Oregon women’s basketball closes nonconference play with UC Irvine win
