by Steve Mims

EUGENE, OREGON

Two nights after a disastrous 90-73 loss to Arizona State, the Ducks picked up their best win of the season in convincing fashion. Jermaine Couisnard scored 27 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Ducks to victory.

“We came together as a team,” Couisnard said. “We knew we were better than we showed on Thursday. It was a team effort for everybody.”

N’flay Dante added 22 points and 10 rebounds while Will Richardson had 14 points and five assists. Sophomore Nate Bittle got the start and added 10 points.

Oregon improved to 10-8 overall and moved into a tie for fifth place in the Pac-12 at 4-3. The Ducks are still a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament, but the win over Arizona gave them some momentum heading into the second half of conference play.

Oregon shot 53.1% from the field against UA after shooting just 42.4% against Arizona State. Richardson and Dante led the Ducks with 16 and 14 points, respectively against the Sun Devils.

“Our consistency has been really shady throughout the year,” UO coach Dana Altman said after the win over Arizona. “I’m really happy that we performed the way we did, but also disappointed. … We were bad the other night and we were good tonight. I didn’t want to take anything from Arizona State because they just kicked our ass but we were different tonight.”

Oregon hits the road to face California on Wednesday and Stanford on Saturday.

OREGON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

^{Oregon Women’s Basketball 2022, Photos by Highlite Agency}

Oregon split a home weekend against the Washington Schools.

The Ducks beat Washington 65-58 on Friday before losing to Washington State, 85-84, in overtime on Sunday.

Te-Hina Paopao had 16 points and five assists to lead the Ducks in the win over the Huskies. Taya Hanson made four 3-pointers en route to 15 points while Grace VanSlooten added 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Ducks hoped for a sweep at Matt Knight Areana, but were upset by the Cougars in overtime. Oregon led a nine-point halftime lead slip away and forced overtime when VanSlooten made two free throws in the final second, but WSU pulled away in overtime.

Endyia Rogers had 33 points, six rebounds and three assists in then loss while freshman Chance Gray made five 3-pointers on her way to 22 points. Paopao pitched in 11 points and VanSlooten added 10.

Oregon is 13-5 overall and tied for fifth in the conference at 4-3 as it heads to Oregon State on Friday.

Steve Mims has spent 25 years as a sportswriter, including 21 years at The Register-Guard. He covered University of Oregon athletics from 2013-2020. He works in Eugene as a registered representative and insurance agent at PBC Insurance. He can be reached at smims@pbcins.com.