Oregon 75, Portland State 71

Eugene, Ore. – The Ducks fought off a second-half rally by a scrappy Vikings team to win, 75-71. Senior forward Amanda Johnson notched 30 points and 19 rebounds – her second consecutive 30-plus game.

The most important of freshman Jordan Loera’s eight points was her last three: a shot with five seconds to go, which sealed Oregon’s win. Eryn Jones led PSU with 20, and Karley Lampman added 18.

Box score.

Oregon extended the lead to 14 points early in the second half, but the Vikings began their comeback, whittling the lead to one with a minute left.

Outside of the box score, the game began with a lot of turnovers on both sides, and was sloppy. PSU did a lot with what they have, which is a fairly short team. And they did something a lot that the Ducks need to do more often: they play defense.

Oregon was also hesitating to drive to the hoop earlier in the game, but once they did, the points started flowing. They should not settle for the outside shot, because they don’t have enough good shooters to take that gamble.

Johnson is playing like a woman possessed. I like it. And Loera has a bright future ahead of her if she keeps working; she has much natural talent.

Knight Arena is indeed a well-designed, gorgeous, state-of-the-art facility. I took a lot of pictures, which I will post when I return home. I’m interested to know reader opinion on the uniquely-painted floor.