The longest losing streak of the Kelly Graves era at Oregon continues.
Te-Hina Paopao scored a season-high 22 points, but with only 10 from Endyia Rogers and Grace VanSlooten out due to a left ankle injury, the Ducks didn’t have enough firepower in a 68-60 loss to Washington on Sunday afternoon at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
The Ducks shot 38.6% from the floor in their fourth consecutive game under 40% and sixth in the last seven games, all losses, in the longest losing streak for UO since 2012-13.
Paopao scored 14 points in the first half to help Oregon (14-13, 5-11 Pac-12) take a 32-27 lead at the break. The third-year sophomore went 7 of 12 from the field, including 6 of 9 from three-point range, and made a pair of free throws for her most points since scoring 23 against Stanford on Feb. 20 last season.
“I thought overall we played harder tonight,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said on postgame radio. “Another third quarter where we couldn’t score. We had a few turnovers obviously in that quarter. Kind of a similar tale, but it was good to see a couple of positives. It was good to see Paopao bounce back. I know she wasn’t quite as good in the second half, but it was good to see her bounce back and play well.”
Lauren Schwartz had nine of her 13 points in the third quarter for Washington (15-11, 7-9), which won the frame 18-6 and never looked back. Dalayah Daniels had 10 points and four rebounds to help UW win in the paint 38-24. Haley Van Dyke had nine points and nine rebounds for the Huskies, who snapped a 10-game losing streak in the series to beat the Ducks for the first time since Dec. 30, 2016.
Chance Gray and Phillipina Kyei (11 rebounds) each had nine points for Oregon, which started Taya Hanson in place of VanSlooten, who wore a walking boot on her left foot after injuring her ankle late in Friday’s loss at Washington State. Graves said VanSlooten is expect to be out at least until the Pac-12 tournament, if not beyond.
“I feel for these guys, we just got to keep finding a way, keep plugging away,” Graves said. “That’s all we can do. I don’t think we’re doing a bad job as a coaching staff. We prepare well. We haven’t prepared any differently than we have in the past. … It’s not like we’re going into the game feeling like, ‘Oh well, what are we doing this for, we’re going to lose.’ I haven’t see any of that from our team. We’ve just got to build on whatever positives.”
With two home games left against Arizona and Arizona State on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, Oregon is in ninth place in the Pac-12 and in line for a potential rematch with Washington in the conference tournament. Despite UO’s extremely inflated NET ranking, even Graves conceded the Ducks are unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re in a position now at 14-13 where I don’t think we’re a candidate now for an NCAA Tournament unless we make some kind of a (run),” Graves said. “Right now Arizona at home is going to be formidable — well Arizona State at home is going to be formidable; they’re playing better. Then two in the (Pac-12) tournament would also include winning in an 8-9 game and then beating the No. 1 seed. If we can do that, then we’re going to be in the field because that means we would have taken care of business against Arizona as well.
“We’re now in a must-win situation for the next four games, at least, I think.”
