Oregon women take aim at Big Ten tourney run, March Madness seed

At 20-11 the Oregon women's basketball team is solidly in the NCAA Tournament, but they can lock up a berth and a higher seed by winning a couple of games at the Big Ten Tournament.

Seeded No. 11 with an 8-10 record in league play, the Ducks take on No. 15 seed Purdue at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 5:30 p.m. PT on the Peacock Network Wednesday.

In tourney play, it's all a matter of getting hot at the right time

The Ducks have the makings of a tournament Cinderella. They've made five fourth quarter comebacks to win games this season, winning on the road in January against No. 16 Maryland 66-61, toppling No. 21 USC in Los Angeles after trailing by 13 to start the fourth quarter.

Two weeks ago on February 19th, the Ducks used a 16-4 run in the fourth to shuck Nebraska 80-76, paced by 21 points, six rebounds and four assists by forward Ehis Etute, a sophomore from Dudelange, Luxembourg.

The team showed their resilience again on February 4 versus Illinois. Trailing by eight with five minutes to play Katie Fiso fed Etute for a bucket, then hit a short turnaround jumper to cut the margin to four. Sofia Bell drained a 25-foot three pointer to bring them within one at 66-65 off another assist by Fiso.

A three-pointer by 6-2 Aussie forward Mia Bell got the Ducks a lead at 70-68, then Fiso took over with a layup and two free throws as the Ducks completed another comeback at 76-73.

The three-headed scoring monster of Fiso, Etute and Bell makes Oregon a dangerous tournament team, coupled with their heart and closeness. This is a spirited group that put together a four-game winning streak late in January to turn their season around before losing six of eight to end the regular year.

Now it's all a matter of getting hot at the right time and feeling that confidence again.