Tag: chance gray

Oregon women’s basketball roster loses three big pieces to transfer portal

Grace VanSlooten, Chance Gray and Kennedy Basham all leave the Oregon programs and enter the transfer portal.

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team didn’t have the best of seasons, and this might make things worse before they get better.

Head coach Kelly Graves just saw three of his top players leave and enter the transfer portal in one day as forwards Grace VanSlooten and Kennedy Basham as well as shooting guard Chance Gray have all decided to go play elsewhere.

This was just a few days after guard Priscilla Williams announced her intentions to enter the portal.

That leaves four huge holes Graves will have to fill before next season and no doubt he will be perusing the portal the best he can in this new world of college athletics.

VanSlooten came to Oregon as a five-star recruit from Toledo, Ohio where she averaged 14.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in her two seasons. She was an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.

Gray was the No. 7 player in the nation when she committed to Oregon from Cincinnati. In her two years as a Duck, she averaged 12 point a game and was named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman team in 2022-23. She made 115 three-pointers last season.

Basham was one of the top post players to come out of high school when she committed to Oregon, but she suffered a knee injury that slowed her in her freshman season. In her two years, Basham played in 47 games, averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds a game.

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WBB Recap: Ducks let an upset over Utah slip through their fingers

Oregon saw its eight-point halftime lead evaporate and No. 16 Utah avoided an upset in Eugene 58-48.

Utah came into tonight’s game against Oregon averaging 86 points a game and it’s a big reason why the Utes are No. 16 in the nation.

When it was halftime, Utah had 21 and the Ducks had a huge upset within their grasp.

But by the time the third quarter ended, Oregon’s 29-21 halftime lead was completely erased as the Utes outscored the Ducks 22-7 and held a 43-36 lead.

Oregon pulled to within three in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get over the hump and Utah escaped with a 58-48 win.

This was a victory not only did this Duck team need, but the program as a whole and unfortunately they couldn’t muster enough offense. Oregon is now 11-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play with No. 3 Colorado next.

The loss wasted a great game from Phillipina Kyei who led all scorers with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Chance Gray added 18 points, but no other Duck could approach double figures.

In the second half, the Utes broke down the Ducks 2-3 zone and found open 12-foot jumpers, mostly from Alissa Pili. She scored all 16 of her points after halftime as the Ducks never adjusted to her becoming hot from the field.

The Utes were just 4-of-20 from three-point land in the first half, but in the second half, the Utes were 4-of-10, including three straight which brought them back in the game during that big third quarter.

Oregon doesn’t have much time to get over the defeat as No. 3 Colorado looms on Sunday. The Buffaloes won’t come into Matthew Knight Arena happy campers as they are coming off an upset loss to the Beavers in Corvallis.

WBB Recap: Slow start costs Oregon a possible upset on The Farm

After falling down 20-0, the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team plays No. 8 Stanford almost even on the road.

If only they could just erase those first six minutes.

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team fell down 20-0 to No. 8 Stanford on the road and although they made a valiant effort the rest of the way, the Cardinal came away with an 88-63 win.

It was a historic victory for Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer as she collected win No. 1,202, which ties her with former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for all-time wins in college basketball.

For Oregon, however, it was just another loss down on The Farm, a place the Ducks have won just three times in their history. They fell to 11-8 overall and 2-4 in Pac-12 play.

The game was over in that initial 20-0 run, but then Stanford’s All-American Cameron Brink injured her knee and didn’t come back rest on the night. With Stanford’s post player out, the Ducks went on a 15-2 run and cut that deficit in half at the end of the first quarter at 25-15.

Oregon eventually cut the lead to eight, but could never make a further dent in the deficit. The Ducks could have easily thrown in the towel, but they kept on playing and gained confidence which will hopefully carry over to the next game at California on Sunday.

Chance Gray led the Ducks with 19 points on 6-of-14 from the floor and 3-of-5 from three-point land. Phillipina Kyei was the only other Duck in double figures with 14 points.

The Ducks will next battle the Bears on Sunday for a noon tip-off.

WBB Recap: Ducks complete weekend sweep with close win over Arizona

Despite 27 turnovers, the Oregon women’s basketball was able to hold off Arizona 70-68 for their second straight conference win.

Just 48 hours earlier, the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team’s season was on life support. But after some home cooking and a weekend sweep over the Arizona schools, the Ducks have plenty of life left.

Oregon completed the weekend sweep with a 70-68 win over Arizona to move to 11-7 overall and 2-3 in conference action. The Wildcats suffered a tough weekend in the Willamette Valley as they fell to 10-7 overall and 2-3 in league play. The two-point loss in Eugene came after a double-overtime loss in Corvallis to the Beavers.

Grace VanSlooten led Oregon with 19 points, including 9-of-10 from the free throw line. The Ducks were 19-of-28 from the charity stripe to Arizona’s 5-of-10.

Chance Gray and Phillipina Kyei each scored 13 points for the Ducks. The Wildcats were led by Jada Williams’ career-high 23 points.

It was a back-and-forth final quarter with Oregon leading throughout, but it was two threes from Sammie Wagner that gave the Ducks some breathing room.

Despite that, the Wildcats still had a shot at the buzzer for the win, but Skylar Jones’ desperation 35-footer was off the mark and the Ducks held on.

It wasn’t exactly a picture-perfect game. Both teams turned the ball over at inordinate amounts. Oregon had 27 turnovers, while Arizona was charged with 15 miscues.

Unfortunately, not many were able to watch this close affair as the game was not available for fans to attend due to the icy conditions in the Eugene-Springfield area. Only a few family and friends of the two teams were able to witness the contest in person.

Now the Ducks will go to No. 8 Stanford and California next week, starting with the Cardinal Friday, Jan. 19 on the Pac-12 Network.

WBB Recap: Ducks find the win column with victory over ASU

WBB Recap: Ducks find the win column with victory over ASU

It had been a long three weeks between wins for the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team and all they needed was a little home cooking.

Playing a team 1-20 in their last 21 conference games helped too.

The Ducks used a big second half and defeated Arizona State 65-53 to capture their first Pac-12 victory. Oregon is now 10-7 overall and 1-3 in league action. The Sun Devils are 8-8 and 0-4 in Pac-12 play.

It was 33-29 Ducks at halftime, but then Oregon outscored ASU 16-6 in the third quarter and cruised in the fourth.

Chance Gray led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-17 from the field, including the team’s only two three-pointers on the night. Grace VanSlooten added 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Phillipina Kyei put up her 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Arizona State was led by Journey Thompson’s 12 points.

The bigger Duck team pounded the Sun Devils on the glass to the tune of a 48-27 advantage which included 19 boards on the offensive end and 19 second-chance points.

Now the Ducks will try to build upon this win as they host Arizona Sunday, Jan. 14 for a 12 pm tip.

WBB Recap: Trojans make the plays down the stretch to down Ducks

The Oregon women’s basketball team came close to upsetting No. 9 USC, but the Trojans made plays down the stretch to win.

One team was used to playing some close games down the stretch and one team wasn’t.

Unfortunately, that team that wasn’t used to a close game was the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team as the Ducks went down to No. 9 USC 68-54.

The final score doesn’t indicate how close this game actually was. Oregon was within one at 50-49 with just nine minutes remaining. But then the Trojans locked down on defense and outscored the Ducks 18-5 the rest of the way.

Hopefully, the Ducks (9-7, 0-3) can build upon this effort, which was significantly better than the 75-49 loss they suffered at the hands of UCLA two nights earlier.

Oregon’s defense is good enough to win in this conference, but it’s the lack of consistent offense that is killing this team right now. Having Chance Gray back in the lineup was a huge plus against USC. She missed the game with the Bruins due to being in the concussion protocol. But Gray was able to 11 points and just having her as a threat to score from the outside helps.

Grace VanSlooten led all scorers with 18 points and Sofia Bell also added 11.

Defensively, the Ducks did a nice job on Trojans’ sensational freshman JuJu Watkins. She was held to 17 points, but that’s 10 points below her average.

The Ducks will now attempt for their first Pac-12 victory when they host Arizona State Friday, Jan. 12 at Matthew Knight Arena.

WBB Recap: Ducks have no answers for Utah Tech’s hot shooting

Utah Tech made 21 three-pointers and held on to defeat Oregon 92-86.

It’s simple math.

When the opponent is hitting threes and you’re answering with twos, the math isn’t going to work in your favor.

That was the case for the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team as Utah Tech made 21 three-pointers to defeat Oregon 92-86 in the Trailblazers Classic.

Those 21 bombs from the outside was just one off the school record for the Trailblazers. They were an amazing 21-of-31 from long range. Oregon wasn’t all that bad itself as the Ducks were 10-of-22 from downtown, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Utah Tech’s Breaunna Gillan was credited with a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Grace VanSlooten led the way for the Ducks with 25 points and nine rebounds. Chance Gray scored 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from three-point land. Her quick trio of treys towards the end of the third quarter brought Oregon back into the game and made it a single-digit deficit at 69-64 as the fourth quarter began.

The Ducks made it a one-possession game a few times in the fourth, but never tied the game or took the lead.

Oregon falls to 8-4 on the season, while Utah Tech out of the WAC improved to 7-4. The Ducks will stay in St. George, Utah and take on Oklahoma State on Thursday for the last non-conference game of the season. Oregon opens the Pac-12 slate with the Civil War in Corvallis New Year’s Eve.

WBB Recap: Ducks win fourth straight with close victory over UTSA

The Oregon women’s basketball team won its fourth straight with a 61-48 victory over UTSA.

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team has played its best in the fourth quarter and today’s game with Texas-San Antonio wasn’t any different.

The Ducks outscored the Roadrunners 16-11 in the final 10 minutes of action to pull away from UTSA for the 61-48 win. The victory was Oregon’s fourth straight as the Ducs improved to 8-3 overall. The Roadrunners dropped to 5-5.

Oregon was able to enjoy the debut of point guard Priscilla Williams, who had to sit out the beginning of the season due to NCAA transfer rules. It was a good thing she was able to play because Williams scored 13 points for the home Ducks. Chance Gray led the team with 14.

Whether Williams will continue to be eligible to play still remains to be seen, however. Oregon is her third team and the rules get a bit funky for multiple transfers. But in this two-week window, Williams is able to play.

It’s amazing Oregon was able to hold the Roadrunners off the scoreboard as much as they did as UTSA pounded the Ducks in rebounds to the tune of a 57-38 margin.

But UTSA was just 2-of-18 from downtown and 20-of-77 (26 percent) overall from the field. Oregon had a huge advantage at the free throw line as the Ducks hit 19-of-26, while UTSA was just 6-of-7. That 13-point difference at the charity ultimately was the margin in the final score.

Now the Ducks will now travel to St. George, Utah to participate in the Trailblazer Classic Dec. 19 and 21. Oregon opens with Utah Tech before playing Oklahoma State.

WBB Recap: Ducks escape with narrow victory over Idaho

Chance Gray’s 20 points led Oregon to a 59-51 win over Idaho Friday night.

With Idaho on the schedule, the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team probably didn’t expect a close contest from the 4-3 Vandals.

However, Idaho buckled down on the defense and made it tough on the Ducks to score, but Oregon scored just enough for the 59-51 win at Matthew Knight Arena.

Chance Gray led the way with 20 points, Grace VanSlooten added 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Phillipina Kyei added 16 points and 17 boards.

Kennedy Johnson led the Vandals with 15 points and Hope Butera hit 3-of-5 from downtown for her 13 points.

While it was a close game throughout, Idaho never had the lead. Oregon held a slim 29-21 halftime lead and a 43-39 lead after three quarters. The Vandals made it a one-possession game a few times in the fourth quarter, but the Ducks always had an answer to keep the advantage.

Neither team shot particularly well. Oregon was 38.5 percent from the field on 20-of-52 shooting while Idaho was just 22-of-61 shooting (36 percent).

At 5-3, the Ducks will now prepare for Portland State Saturday afternoon at 2 pm.

Oregon’s Chance Gray named to Women’s Americup Roster

Oregon’s Chance Gray named to Women’s Americup Roster

Next month women’s basketball players from across the country will travel to Mexico to represent the US in the annual FIBA Women’s Americup. One of the 12 women headed to Mexico, is UO’s Chance Gray.

Gray is a 5’9″ guard who in her freshman season, averaged 10 points and 2 assists a game while shooting 33% from three and 87% from the line. While many of Oregon’s top players chose to leave for the transfer portal after a disappointing 2022, Gray opted to stay and try another year in Eugene.

The FIBA Women’s Americup is an annual event that is similar to soccer tournaments like Copa America that occur every year between North American national teams. In 2023, the Americup will celebrate its 30th anniversary, and the United States will try for its fifth gold medal.

The tournament will begin on July 1st, and on that day Chance Gray and the US will play their first game against Venezuela at 1:40 PT. The tournament will function in a group stage format — like the World Cup does in Soccer— with the elimination rounds beginning on July 7th, and the championship game on the 9th.