At 14-6, the Oregon women’s basketball team is still very much in the NCAA Tournament picture - and with a stretch of winnable games ahead, this is a crucial moment in their season. They’ll look to regroup Wednesday night when they host 12-6 Minnesota at Matthew Knight Arena (6:00 p.m. PT, Big Ten+), hoping to bounce back from a gut-wrenching overtime loss at Wisconsin.
That one stung.
The Ducks had a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter after Ehis Etute sliced through the lane for a driving layup with 6:37 to play. But Wisconsin responded with an 8-0 run, capped by a wild, banked-in 25-foot three from Destiny Howell just before the shot clock expired - a backbreaker that pulled the Badgers within two and shifted momentum for good.
Oregon had a chance to win it in regulation. Freshman Katie Fiso drove hard in the closing seconds, got into the lane, but couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer. In overtime, the Ducks ran out of gas.
Despite the loss, there were some standout performances. Transfer forward Mia Jacobs caught fire from deep, draining six of nine from beyond the arc and pouring in a career-high 30 points.
Fiso added 26, going 9-of-12 from the free throw line. But Howell was the difference-maker for Wisconsin - she was nearly unstoppable, hitting 10-of-16 threes en route to a 39-point night.
“We had some turnovers, some missed free throws,” head coach Kelly Graves said afterward. “We could’ve won the game and we just didn’t.
I hurt for the team; I hurt for them. They try hard.
We just have to figure out a way to make the key plays when we need it. We’ve got to figure this out.
This can’t keep happening.”
The Ducks’ bench contributed just 11 points in Madison, and the team has now lost five of its last seven games, falling to 2-5 in Big Ten play. But context matters - this recent skid came during the toughest portion of their schedule, with losses to ranked teams like Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa.
Now, the calendar offers a bit of relief - and a real opportunity. Minnesota and Penn State come to Eugene this week, followed by a road trip to Rutgers.
All three opponents sit in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings. But the Ducks can’t relax - five more ranked teams still loom on the schedule, and every win counts in the battle for postseason positioning.
The signature moment of Oregon’s season so far came back on January 6, when they stunned then-No. 21 USC on the road.
In that one, they dominated the fourth quarter 26-8, closing the game on a 14-0 run to win 71-66. Etute was the engine that night, finishing with 17 points and 13 boards - a performance that showed what this team is capable of when it clicks.
That’s the version of Oregon they’ll need to rediscover.
This is a scrappy group, but there’s no denying they’re undersized. They’ve struggled at times to hold their ground in the paint, and when fatigue sets in - like it did late against Wisconsin - the turnovers pile up. The Ducks coughed it up 20 times in that game, a number that simply won’t fly in Big Ten play.
Still, there’s reason for optimism. Home court matters - and Matthew Knight Arena has a way of lifting this team when it needs it most. With the right energy, cleaner execution, and a little momentum, Oregon has a chance to turn the tide starting Wednesday night.
The path to March is still open. But the Ducks have to start walking it now.