Oregon women hang on to beat Utah
EUGENE, Ore. - The University of Oregon women’s basketball team sank seven free throws down the stretch and Amanda Johnson had a double-double in just her second game back from injury to lift the Ducks to a 72-67 win over Pac-12 newcomer University of Utah on Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (12-10, 4-6 Pac-12) were up by 10 with 2:39 left in the game, but Utah’s Janita Badon knocked down a trey to cut the lead to seven. Badon turned around on the next possession and fouled senior Nia Jackson, who sank both of her free throws, moving the score to 67-58.
Three straight field goals by Ute players closed the gap to three at 67-64, but Jackson hit the first of two free throws to push the Duck lead to four with 31seconds left to play.
The Utes (10-11, 3-7 Pac-12) gathered the rebound off the missed free throw and Badon knocked down another big three-pointer to cut UO’s lead to a single digit. Senior Amanda Johnson was then quickly fouled by Chelsea Bridgewater and she sank both free throws with 15 seconds left to play.
Oregon head coach Paul Westhead called a timeout to set up his defense after the made free throws and while Iwalani Rodrigues got a good look at a three-pointer that would have tied the game up off a screen, she was not able to knock it down for the Utes.
Ariel Thomas grabbed the rebound and was fouled with four seconds remaining and she knocked down both free throws to secure the victory for UO.
The Ducks placed three in double digits with Johnson and Jackson leading the way with 19 points apiece. Johnson secured her seventh double-double, in just her second game after coming back from a fractured thumb, with 12 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end. Freshman Liz Brenner chipped in 10 points and eight boards in the winning effort.
Oregon took a 40-25 advantage into the locker room as the Ducks shot 42.4 percent from the floor in the first half led by Johnson’s 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jackson added 10 points.
The Ducks outrebounded Utah 28-18, and outscored the Utes in the paint 18-8. Oregon led by as many as 18 in the first half, and Utah shot 27.3 percent from the floor, making just nine field goals in the first half.
Oregon returns to action on Saturday hosting Colorado at 2 p.m. Before the game, Oregon will host a pre-game celebration for National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
