No. 10 Oregon remains undefeated with 85-43 win over Utah
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Erin Boley and Te-Hina Paopao each scored 17 points as No. 10 Oregon defeated Utah 85-43 on Sunday in a Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball game.
Boley added five rebounds and three assists while Paopao had a team-high four assists for the Ducks (4-0), who improved to 2-0 in conference play as they seek a fourth straight Pac-12 title. Freshman Sydney Parrish added 12 points while sophomore Jaz Shelley scored 11.
Niyah Becker scored 11 points while Kennady McQueen added eight points for Utah (0-1), which shot 28.6% from the field. The Utes were playing their first game of the season following a coronavirus outbreak.
Oregon played without starting center Sedona Prince, who suffered an ankle injury in Friday’s win over Colorado. UO coach Kelly Graves said he was unsure how long that Prince will be out.
The Ducks extended school records by winning their 23rd straight game and 21st consecutive home game.
Oregon shot 55.6% from the field while out rebounding the Utes 46-34.
“I was impressed with our defense, I think that was the story of the game,” Graves said. “The kids really defended well. All in all it was a good game. I did not know what to expect for the first weekend of Pac-12 play, but I’m not sure I expected these two outcomes in terms of point spread, but I am pleased. It was a good weekend.”
Boley, the lone returning starter from last season’s Pac-12 championship team, scored Oregon’s first five points. The Utes closed within 8-4 before the Ducks scored the final 12 points of the first quarter, including eight in a row from Boley.
The Ducks stretched the lead to 45-20 at halftime by shooting 58.1% from the field, including a 3-pointer by Angela Dugalic at the buzzer.
Boley had 15 points and three assists in the first half while Paopao added 10 points and four assists.
“Erin set the tone early and showed she’s more than a catch-and-shoot, spot-up 3-point shooter,” Graves said. “She’s been doing that all year. … I thought Paopao showed that she’s got a chance to be an elite point guard. To do what she did in limited minutes was pretty special. From top to bottom, we played well.”
Oregon outscored the Utes 21-9 in the third quarter and pushed the lead past 50 points in the final period.
BIG PICTURE
Utah: The Utes were finally able to start the season after pausing workouts two weeks ago due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Utah had to cancel nonconference games against Southern Utah and Utah Valley and delay their conference opener against Oregon State. The Utes had not played since March 6 when they lost 79-59 to Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.
Oregon: Oregon is 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 42.3 points per game. However, the schedule is about to get tougher as the Ducks head to No. 17 Oregon State on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Utah: At Oregon State on Tuesday.
Oregon: At Oregon State on Sunday.
