Women’s basketball swept in Oregon


The Women of Troy suffered a sweep in Oregon over the weekend, falling to Oregon State Friday and Oregon Sunday.

On Sunday, the Trojans (18-10, 6-10)  threatened with a run in the fourth quarter, but the Ducks survived in the end for a 69-60 win. USC cut a 15-point deficit down to just two with under two minutes to play, but Oregon (20-7, 9-7)  finished the game on a 9-2 run as the Trojans ran out of gas.

Sophomore forward Kirsten Simon led the way for USC with 19 points, while junior guard Courtney Jaco chipped in 11.

Up by six at halftime, Oregon pulled away in the third quarter, opening up a double-digit advantage as USC was held in check on offense, being outscored by the Ducks 43-21 over the second and third frames. The Trojans trailed 52-37 heading into the fourth.

The Trojans opened the game strong, leading 16-9 after the first quarter, going on a 7-2 run that was capped off by a bank shot from senior forward Fagenble off a pass by freshman guard Khaedin Taito.

But USC was outscored 23-10 in the second quarter, with a 9-2 run quickly evening the score at 18-18 after a 3-pointer by senior guard Lexi Peterson. The Ducks took the lead shortly thereafter. Freshman Maite Cazorla, who led all scorers at halftime with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, put Oregon ahead 32-26 at halftime after making a layup with just over a minute left in the half.

The Women of Troy entered the game having lost three of their last four games, including a 76-52 defeat at Oregon State Friday night.

In a fourth quarter that was not competitive, the Women of Troy were unable to cut into the lead with the Beavers continuing their hot shooting into the fourth quarter. The Beavers extended the lead to a game-high 27 on a 3-pointer by Taylor Kalmer with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans struggled offensively to start the game but they were able to keep things close with their aggressive defense and relentless hustle. After trailing throughout the first quarter, the Women of Troy were able to tie the game with two minutes remaining in the quarter on a tough layup by sophomore guard Sadie Edwards. It was an ugly first quarter with both teams shooting below 30 percent and finishing with a meager nine points.

The action picked up in the second quarter with both teams shooting the ball much better. USC took its first and only lead of the game on its first possession of the second quarter on a put-back by Fagbenle. But the Beavers quickly responded with an 8-0 run, including back-to-back 3-pointers by senior Deven Hunger and freshman Taylor Kalmer to take a 17-13 lead. The Women of Troy were unable to muster up a run of their own and finished the half trailing 29-23.

It was a tough game for the Women of Troy as they suffered their largest loss of the season. The team not only had trouble on offense but they also struggled on the defensive end as Oregon State’s ball movement left USC scrambling.

“We’ve got to get back to our basics of playing defense and running,” head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke said. “We’ve got to be able to execute our game-plan for 40 minutes.”

The Trojans return home to take on Arizona State on Friday at the Galen Center.

1 reply
  1. Steve B.
    Steve B. says:

    Recruiting of the foreign players has been counter- productive. What a waste of the freshman. Head Coach Cooper-Dyke has not been the answer for this program. Losing two players to academics that have already graduated has got to be a first.

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