Ducks run ends with a loss in Durham, 59-53

Duke's Ashlon Jackson buried five second-half threes on her way to 19 points to lead Duke to a comeback 59-53 over a scrappy but overmatched Oregon women's team, 14.5- point underdogs at Cameron Indoor Stadium in North Carolina.

Oregon season ends after one upset win in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 20-12.

Leading by five at the half, the Ducks needed to adjust to the Duke defensive pressure while continuing their hot first-half shooting. They led 28-23 at the break while shooting 50 percent from the field, even though leading scorer Deja Kelly went to the bench with two fouls.

A veteran team with a 27-7 record, 14-1 at home and ACC Champions, you knew Duke would make adjustments at halftime. Continuing to take advantage of Phillipina Kyei's size advantage inside while keeping Kelly out of further foul trouble were critical. Kelly had nine points on 4-5 shooting in the first half.

Duke started with the ball and quickly Jackson drained a three, then another to seize the lead. Kelly started the second half with two misses. The momentum of the first half seemed gone, particularly when Muhammad missed a 10-foot jumper in the lane. A drive by Jackson made it 31-28, a three for three start for the 6-0 guard from China, Texas.

A TV timeout gave the Ducks a chance to regroup, now down three after leading for all of the first half. All alone, Jackson buries a deep three and the Ducks fall behind six after not scoring in the first six minutes of the third quarter.

Oregon goes back inside to Kyei and she draws a foul, missing the first, making the second. Offensive foul-- Ducks are up to 11 turnovers as they have just one point in the second half. Duke's Jadyn Donovan goes to the bench with her third foul. Ducks make their 12 turnover against bump-and-run defense.

Cold shooting and ball handling issues have taken their toll as the third quarter has been 13-1 Duke. Unless Deja Kelly gets hot or Peyton Scott buries a flurry of threes, this one seems to be slipping away from Kelly Graves and the Ducks.

Jackson lands another three, then the Ducks finally get a layup. It's 39-31 with 3:43 to play in the third.

Kelly buries a three, then connects again with a jumper from the circle, getting the Ducks within five. A three-point play at the other end as Kyei picked up her third foul. Playing tough Kelly kept the Ducks in the game with 6-9 shooting, 14 points. She makes another midrange jumper, six-point game at 44-38.

A soft bank by Kelly, 45-40. Peyton Scott is on the floor after hard contact, no foul, but Kelly gets the rebound. She's taken over for the Ducks. Scott limps off with assistance, favoring her left leg. Kelly misses a runner on the last possession and Oregon goes into the 4th down 45-40, getting the ball first to start the quarter.

Through three quarters, Kelly has 18 on 8-12 shooting. She's a WNBA player next year, doing all this despite being shaded and trapped by multiple defenders on every possession. She excels at creating her shot off the dribble.

To overcome this deficit and engineer another improbable upset, the Ducks desperately need a second scorer. Falatea from three? Kyei inside? The Blue Devils are tough defensively.

Officials are letting Duke bang people around. Falatea knocks down a three. Two-point game now. Great poise for the Oregon women playing in Durham.

Duke misses seven shots before Jackson hits an open jumper, Oregon now down four with 7:28 to play. Kyei works inside for a layup, down two. She converts an And One, so it's 47-46.

Jump ball underneath off a missed layup goes to Duke. Richardson hits from the baseline. Ducks commit their 15th turnover. Down three, get the ball back off a missed three. Need a bucket here. Kelly drives, dishes off to Kyei who makes another layup with defenders draped all over her. Ducks within one, with Duke going to the line off a drive and a foul.

Kyei fights contact, gets her own rebound and banks it in to make it 51-50 Duke. She's got 11 boards. Twelve personal fouls on Oregon, 9 on Duke, despite UO players getting knocked to the floor every other possession at either end.

Ducks trail by three 53-50 with 3:19 to play, take a timeout. Kyei dribbles off her foot, being ridden and pushed and she tried to work for a shot. Duke gets a layup off great ball movement. Down five, Kyei goes to the line. Around the rim and out, 2:25 to play, gets the second. 2:14, down four, Ducks get a steal.

A miss, Duke ball down to 1:34 and Jackson hits a dagger three from the baseline, 58-51. Kyei grabs her 13th rebound. With 1:10 left, Kelly makes a pair of free throws. Duke breaks the press with three risky passes and calls timeout. A minute to play, Oregon is running out of time down five.

The Ducks pressured the inbound and Kelly drew an offensive foul with 29 seconds left, the Ducks with a bit of life, timeout with the ball. Kelly has 20, Kyei 14, with the rest of the lineup struggling to connect today and Scott out with an injury. Falatea misses a three, iron, that's all. Duke rebound. Ducks steal but turn it over with a crosscourt pass, their 17th of the game.