Tenth-seed Oregon shot a torrid 12-22 from the floor and 4-7 from threes to build a 36-25 lead at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina over the seventh-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores.
A jumper from the circle by Peyton Scott made it 7-4 Oregon with 6:21 to go in the first quarter. Early on, it was a sloppy, low-scoring game that helped the Ducks stay close. Khamil Pierre of the Commodores laid it in off a pass by Blakes to make it 8-7 Vandy.
The Ducks were bothered by the Commodores trapping defense, pressured into 8 turnovers in the first quarter. They made their first two shots to take a 4-0 lead, then suffered a 1-10 run from the floor. The game stayed close, however, at 9-7. Katie Fiso drove to the basket, banking it in with the left hand to tie it at 9-9.
Deja Kelly sunk two free throws to get the Ducks the lead at 11-9 in the last minute of the first quarter, then Kelly, with good position on the defensive boards, drew an over-the-back call from Pierre, going to the line on the backcourt foul. She made the first, missed the second to give the Webfoots a 12-9 lead at the end of the first. They owned an 11-2 advantage in rebounds over the first period, the key to their early lead.
A sweet pass from Fiso to Amina Muhammad opened the second quarter for Ducks, an easy basket in the paint that got them out in front by five. Fiso then broke the Commodore press, and drove all the way from the logo to the hoop for a bucket that made it 16-11. Vandy's leading scorer Blakes intercepted an ill-advised crosscourt pass and took it coast to coast as the 7-seeded ACC squad closed within three.
A drive by Fiso got the Ducks to 19-13 with 6:28 to play in the first half, and suddenly the possibility of another Kelly Graves tournament run seemed real.
The Ducks got a break when 6-2 Vanderbilt forward Khamil Pierre drew her third foul with five minutes to go in the second quarter and went to the bench. The defensive pressure by the Commies forced a shot clock violation and then another Oregon turnover, their tenth.
Fiso hit another bucket to keep the Ducks out in front, 23-19 but Blake answered with another two, already with 13 points in the game with 3:40 left in the half.
A triple by Sofia Bell off the bench lifted Oregon to a 26-22 lead, then Bell nailed another from the right corner to put the Ducks up by seven. Two minutes to play. The Ducks are having to work hard for their baskets but they keep hitting them, staying poised despite the Vanderbilt pressure.
When Scott swished two free throws, the lead reached nine at 31-22. Blakes sunk two free throws to cut it to seven. Kelly rattled in a jumper from the line and fouled for an And One. She made the free throw to give Oregon a ten-point lead, their biggest with 42 seconds to play. Scott swished a three-pointer from deep and remarkably it bulged to 36-23 on a 13-1 run. A foul on a three-point attempt with four seconds to go (an ill-advised play) put Iyana Moore on the line for three free throws. She made the first two, Ducks leading by 11 at the break.
Fiso feelin' it.
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) March 21, 2025
6 points on 3-3 FG for Katie to put us in front 21-17 with 5 mins left in the half #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/57QguslDJz