Oregon’s first look at its revamped roster came with exactly the kind of runway Kelly Graves wanted.
The Ducks rolled past Bushnell 120-35 on Tuesday in an exhibition at Matthew Knight Arena, but the score was never really the point. With five newcomers - four of them freshmen - getting their first taste of college basketball in front of a crowd, Oregon used a lopsided matchup to give its young players real game reps before the results start counting.
Graves said he values this kind of tune-up, especially when so many programs are leaning away from exhibitions against smaller schools.
"I think we got something out of it even though the score was lopsided. Our freshmen had a chance to play under the lights," Graves shared after the win.
"I'm still a little bit old school. I like this kind of an opportunity.
I see these big programs playing each other, and I look at the box score and all the starters play 30 minutes plus. It's like 'I've got enough tough games during the season'.
I think this is great for us to get a nice tune-up, and let everybody get out and play and feel good and play hard."
Brooklynn Haywood made the strongest first impression. The freshman guard from Camas, Wash., poured in 22 points to lead all scorers, going 6-for-6 from beyond the arc and 8-for-10 overall. For a player carrying plenty of hype as a former 5-star recruit, the shotmaking arrived fast and clean.
"I just came out with the confidence in my team and myself," Haywood said after the game. "I think we built that from our practices and over the couple of weeks we've been going live. I just had confidence in them, and I knew I had confidence in them, we were just out there playing basketball."
Haywood wasn’t the only newcomer who looked comfortable. La'u Pele Falatea scored 14 points and knocked down two threes.
Hilary Fuller, the Belmont transfer, added 13 points while hitting all three of her long-range attempts. Kennedy Holman chipped in seven points, six assists and five steals, and Emilia Krstevski, Oregon’s tallest player at 6-foot-4, finished with nine points and six rebounds.
Senior Ari Long said the early chemistry has been easy to see.
"They're great additions to this team," Long said of the five newcomers. "I think they've come in and we've just been able to come together so seamlessly, and it's just been really great, especially the freshmen.
They have such good energy, and Hilary comes in as more of a veteran. It's been really fun."
Graves was just as upbeat about what he saw from the group.
"I think they all looked good. They all give us a little bit something different" he said. "It was important that those five in particular, who've never played at this level of Division 1, have a game under their belts now."
The veterans had their moments, too. Mallory Heyer, playing her first game action at Oregon after being on last year's roster as a mid-year transfer, posted 13 points, eight rebounds and five steals.
Katie Fiso handed out assists on Oregon’s first three baskets and finished with 10 points and six assists. Long added 10 points, Avary Cain connected on three threes for nine points and five assists, and Ehis Etute contributed six points and five rebounds.
All 11 available Ducks played at least 16 minutes, and the offense was efficient from deep, with Oregon making 16 of 27 three-pointers. Graves said the team is aiming for 30 or more attempts from long distance each game, though the Ducks’ 27 layups - many of them in transition - kept the attack from being even more perimeter-heavy.
"I've never been really a volume three coach, but I think our given our strength and given our size, and given the way the game is played now, we want to stretch the floor and maybe get even more than that," Graves said of the 3-point shooting.
Oregon’s first game that counts comes Nov. 2 in a doubleheader with the men’s team. The Ducks will face Hawaii at 3 PM at Matthew Knight Arena.
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Scouts see a player with draft appeal, even if the opinions are split on where he fits in the 2027 NFL Draft picture, with some viewing him as a first-round type and others leaning toward early Day 2. The longer he is sidelined, the more the conversation shifts from upside to availability, which is often the difference between a team dreaming on a quarterback and trusting him. Inside the locker room, though, teammates continue to point to Moores leadership away from the field as part of what has made him such an important presence. [Read more 🡒]