Duck fans had a little pep in their steps after the Oregon women's basketball team had won two games in a row against Big Ten opponents. Oregon fans still believed when the Ducks fought to send their game against Nebraska into overtime. Now, those same fans are a little deflated after the Cornhuskers spoiled Oregon's hot streak in conference play.
Despite Deja Kelly's 22 points, despite Phillipina Kyei's nine rebounds, and despite the Ducks forcing 17 turnovers, Oregon couldn't hang on as the Cornhuskers battled for the 94-90 OT win.
After the game, Oregon head coach Kelly Graves was proud of the way that his team had fought throughout the matchup but was obviously disappointed in the final result.
"These are the games as a coach you kind of beat yourself up over," Graves said. "We could have done a lot better ourselves. But we've got to get back on the horse... We've been really great in close games; this is the first one we didn't pull out but proud of the fight, proud of the effort."
The Ducks have just two games remaining in their regular season schedule as the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament rapidly approaches. On Sunday, Feb. 23, the Ducks will host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights before they travel north to take on their rivals, the Washington Huskies.
As of now, the Ducks sit at eighth in the conference standings, safely punching their ticket to the Big Ten tournament – which will only include 15 of the 18 member teams. However, with the standings being neck-and-neck, dropping the games against Rutgers and Washington could be devastating.
Oregon and Rutgers are scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. PT on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena. The two teams have yet to face each other in the regular season.