Ducks continuing to lean on defense as they rack up Big Ten victories

EUGENE, Ore. — Since dropping their third game of the season to the No. 4 USC Trojans back in early December, the Oregon Ducks have now won eight of their last 10 games with Friday's 54-47 win over Indiana acting as the latest. That loss to USC was the third in a span of four games — a stretch in which the Ducks' opponents scored an average of over 71 points per game. Over its last 10, Oregon has cut that down to just 53.9 points per game, a mark that would rank 11th in the country this season.

Even after being held under 50 points for just the third time this season — and the first in Big Ten play — the Hoosiers are still averaging over 66 points per game. Indiana's offensive attack is based on its efficiency, where their 54.4 percent true shooting ranks as a top 50 mark in the country. Against the Ducks, that was down to just 41 percent as Oregon's defensive efforts held the Hoosiers to under 40 percent shooting from the field and under 30 percent from three.

"Indiana's a great team," head coach Kelly Graves said. "I watch a lot of film and I was I wouldn't say nervous, but I was very concerned about this game because they're so good offensively."

Despite the towering 6-foot-8 Phillipina Kyei manning the paint, Oregon is not built from the inside out like most strong defenses. Rather, the Ducks' defense is built from the outside in, relying on a flurry of swarming guards to hound ball-handlers, jump passing lanes, and dive after loose balls. 

"We trust each other," sophomore guard Sofia Bell said when asked how the Ducks' speed impacts the game on defense. "We're able to make switches and react quickly so I think it makes a big difference for us."

Throughout Friday night's contest, the Ducks' defense continuously provided them with the spark they needed as offense became tough to come by. The difference in the game came from Oregon's 13-3 advantage on fastbreak points. The Ducks forced 17 turnovers, including 11 steals. Those steals came from six different players on Friday night, including four who had multi-steal games.

"The defense got us some points late in that fourth quarter," Graves said. "That was really the key."

Defense like this is made possible by players like Deja Kelly, the Ducks leading scorer, who even on a night where she finished 0-for-6 from the field, never relented with her defensive effort. Kelly is a strong defender at the point of attack — only trailing Elisa Mevius for the team lead in steals — but her best asset on that end of the court might be her awareness and veteran leadership, always making sure that she is in the right spot.

"She does all the other things," Graves said of Kelly's ability to impact the game beyond her scoring. "That's what great players do and she's a great player. I always feel comfortable when she's on the court."

Early in the second quarter against Indiana, Kelly made a perfect weakside rotation from the corner, beating the driving Hoosier to the hoop to slow her down and allow Alexis Whitfield to block the shot from behind. Even as just a 5-foot-8 guard, she stands strong on the interior. With the Ducks trailing by three with less than four minutes remaining, Kelly stood up Indiana's Chloe Moore-McNeil to force a miss on the inside before hitting Kyei for a layup 10 seconds later to cut the lead to one.

With just over five minutes to go, the Hoosier's Lilly Meister knocked down a jumper to put them up 45-42. Indiana would not score again until a layup with 28 seconds remaining, at which point they were already playing the foul game in a desperate attempt at a comeback.

"We're able to have an identity of defense at Oregon," veteran guard Peyton Scott said. "I know people joke about it all the time, this isn't known to be a defensive school. But we have the versatility and we have the pieces to be a really good defensive team, and we've said that since the beginning."

Kelly's stop and assist made it 45-44 and on the Hoosiers' next trip down, she stripped former Duck Sydney Parrish from behind as she attempted to run a dribble handoff, leading to a wide-open fast break layup to put Oregon up by one. Next, a steal by Bell led to free throws for Scott before she picked up a steal of her own and took the ball coast-to-coast, bringing Oregon's lead to five.

"We were able to wear them down and they broke a little bit," Bell said. "We had three steals in a row. Just keeping the pressure on them all night and ultimately it paid off." 

"Sofia is one of our best defenders," Graves said of Bell. "She's long and gets hands on balls."

In just a few short minutes, the game flipped thanks to Oregon's relentless defensive effort.

"I thought we played a little bit more desperate," Graves said of his team's defense down the stretch. "Took some more chances defensively late. I think that kind of pressure for the whole game, they just kind of let down a little bit."

The Ducks have now held back-to-back opponents to under 50 points, something they had never done before in conference play during 11 seasons under Graves. 

"This was incredible to hold two offensive teams, it's not like Indiana and Iowa hang their hat on their defense, they are great offensive teams. To hold both of them under 50 is really getting it done," Graves said.

The path ahead for Oregon will be tough, with five of the Ducks' final 10 games coming against ranked opponents, including three on the road. But if Oregon can get through that stretch and make a push for the NCAA Tournament, it will be because of the work they have done on defense all season.

"That's been our strength," Graves said. "It's carried us."