Ahlise Hurst is making her last games of college basketball count.
The Oregon fifth-year senior entered the postseason averaging a career-low 3.8 points and shooting 25.8% from the field, including 25.6% from three. She has wound the clock back in the WNIT, going 50% from the field with 11 three-pointers across three wins, after one of the best games of her career Thursday night.
Hurst scored a season-high 23 points to lead the Ducks in an 81-61 rout of San Diego in the Super 16 of the WNIT at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.
“There’s nothing better than (having a season high), but it all comes from my teammates and them hyping me up,” Hurst said. “Just keep shooting. It’s what I do. I can’t stop doing that.”
It was the most points for Hurst since Feb. 22, 2020, when she was at New Mexico against Boise State and behind only her career-best 39 points.
Hurst is averaging 14.0 points and shooting 48.3% from the field, including 45.8% from three-point range, in three WNIT games.
“She is an amazing shooter, especially when she gets hot, there’s no question about it,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “She had just one of those nights. Got to the rim a couple of times too, which is really nice to see. When we’re shooting like that, especially when we go small ball, we have to make ’em. … Ahilise doesn’t take very many bad shots. I think it’s like anything else, you start seeing the ball go in, you get a little bit more confident. She and Taya (Hanson) are playing with some confidence right now.”
Te-Hina Paopao had 15 points, a career-high 10 assists and six rebounds, and Chance Gray and Endyia Rogers each added 10 points for Oregon (20-14), which advances to face the winner of Washington and Kansas State in the Great 8 on Sunday or Monday. Game time and location will be announced following Friday’s game in Seattle.
The Ducks made their second-most threes (14) of the season and shot 43.8% from behind the arc, thanks to Hurst (6 of 13), Paopao and Hanson (each 3 of 6) and Gray (2 for 4).
Oregon’s three-point shooting has jumped from 35.9% during the season to 44.4% during the WNIT, with Paopao, Hurst and Hanson leading the way.
“What changed is guards getting downhill and having people collapse (defensively) and kicking it out and them having open threes where they don’t have to go outside of their game and look for theirs,” said Paopao, a third-year sophomore. “When we can make their job a little easier.”
Kasey Neubert scored 14 points and had 13 rebounds, and Ayanna Khalfani added 13 points for San Diego (19-14).
The Ducks will have at least two days off before playing again and will use it to finish finals week and recover.
Freshman forward Grace VanSlooten, who missed three games late in the season due to an ankle injury, is dealing with a variety of injuries and ailments, according to Graves. VanSlooten had six points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field and had two blocks, a rebound and assist with a minus-3 efficiency in 19 minutes.
Graves said center Kennedy Basham, who missed her third consecutive game in concussion protocol, has returned to practice and is expected to be available for UO’s next game.
