EUGENE — Terra McGowan leads a gaggle of six Oregon softball gamers to earn all-Pac-12 honors.
McGowan was a primary workforce all-Pac-12 choice, the primary of the fourth-year redshirt-sophomore catcher’s profession, in addition to an all-defensive workforce honoree.
She is hitting .400 with two residence runs and 14 RBIs in 24 video games, lacking a number of weeks with a thumb harm. McGowan hit a team-high .393 with two residence runs and eight RBIs with simply two strikeouts in 18 Pac-12 video games.
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The Oregon Ducks beat the Maryland Terrapins, 83-79, in a thriller on Sunday afternoon. The Ducks trailed by as many as 13, but due to key contributions from star guards Jackson Shelstad and Keeshawn Barthelemy, the Ducks avoided falling to 1-3 in conference play and losing two straight games at home.
In the first half, it looked as though Oregon was going to get blown out for the second straight game. But with just under eight minutes left in the first half, Shelstad scored eight points in 69 seconds. That solo run brought the Ducks alive and into the game, allowing them to shrink Maryland’s lead to three at halftime.
The Ducks started the second half down 45-42, but they quicklywent on a 14-2 run, leading by nine with 15 minutes to in the game. At that point, it looked as though the Ducks might run away with the game, but the Terrapins stormed back, retaking the lead with nine minutes to go.
In the final 10 minutes of the game, neither team could pull away from the other, and with two minutes to go, the game was tied 76-76. Jus then, Barthelemy laced a clutch three-pointer to go ahead, and after that, Oregon several key stops to close out the win.
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Oregon vs. Maryland Keys to the Game
The Ducks would not have won this game if not for Jackson Shelstad. The sophomore guard was as productive and efficient as you can be, not missing a shot until nearly 30 minutes into the game. At one point, Maryland was face-guarding Shelstad at half-court without the ball in his hands.
This truly was a game of momentum, the lead changed hands several times and both teams went on multiple massive runs. Without their big run to end the first half, or their 14-2 run to start the second half, the Ducks wouldn’t have come close in this game.
Both teams shot the basketball very well on Sunday. Both finished over 45% from the field and over 40% from three. In a game dominated by offense like this, it’s only fitting that the result came down to defense.
The Ducks defense was much improved from their horrendous showing on Thursday against Illinois, but it still had room for improvement. Down the stretch, Oregon tightened things up on defense, holding the Terrapins to making one of their final nine field goal attempts.
Oregon finished 52% from the field and 43% from three. The Terrapins shot 43% from deep as well, but after shooting over 50% from the field for most of the game, Maryland’s FG% fell to 47% in the final minutes.
The Ducks made 13/15 free throws, and the Terrapins were just 14/19. Several of those Maryland misses came in the game’s final minutes
The Ducks’ depth helped make the difference in this game. Their bench outscored Maryland’s 26-12.
Oregon guards Jackson Shelstad and Keeshawn Barthelemy combined for 37 points on 72.2% shooting.
What’s Next for Oregon Ducks?
Jan. 9 — at Ohio State Buckeyes
Jan. 12 — at Penn State Nittany Lions
Jan. 18 — vs. No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers
Jan. 21 — vs. Washington Huskies
Jan. 25 — at Minnesota Golden Gophers
After a two-game homestand to kick off the meat of Oregon’s conference schedule, the Ducks are going on the road for a pair of games against Big Ten opponents. After that, Oregon returns home for a Top 25 matchup and rivalry game against Washington.
The Big Ten Conference competitive nature has been a hard going for the Oregon Ducks thus far. The Illinois Fighting Illini came into Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene on Thursday for the first time, dropping 109-77 in the road victory. The first time any opponent has scored 100 or more since the arena opened back in 2011.
Oregon coach Dana Altman moves onto the next opponent in coach Kevin Willard’s Maryland Terrapins who are coming off a 75-69 loss at the Washington Huskies. Their first hike in the Pacific Northwest trip continues on for the new conference foe.
Dec 29, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman calls a play during the second half against the Weber State Wildcats at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
Maryland’s freshman center Derik Queen will be a lot for any of Oregon’s frontcourt to handle. At 6-10, 246-pounds, he has already made his presence known on the NBA Draft board. According to a recent prediction from On3, Queen is outside of the lottery but to be selected with the No. 17 pick for the San Antonio Spurs. No Ducks are on the radar.
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Through 14 games with the Terrapins, Queen is averaging 15.6 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.0 blocks per game.
“Very good low-post scorer with advanced/nimble footwork and use of fakes. Calls for the ball and goes to work quickly, commands double-teams at this level. Uses his body well to carve out space, understands positioning and sealing his man better than almost any prospect you’ll see at this age. Good baseline spin that can end with a drop-step jam.”
– NBADraft.net on Maryland’s Derik Queen
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Dec 28, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) posts up against Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks forward Jalen Ware (24) during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Oregon’s Nate Bittle will have his hands full down at the low post against Queen. Bittle leads the Ducks with 13.2 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 1.8 blocks per game. Georgetown Hoyas transfer Supreme Cook can help down low, putting in 20 points on 8-11 field goals off the bench against Illinois earlier this week.
According to oddsmakers across the major sportsbooks, the Ducks are favored to win against Maryland. The spread is currently four points in favor of Oregon, and the over/under points total is set at 150.
Maryland (11-3, 1-2) is in Eugene to try to knock off the No. 9 Oregon Ducks (12-2, 1-2) on Peacock at 1 p.m. PT. A victory for Altman and his team could potentially keep them within the top-10 of the AP Poll on Monday morning and move them up the March Madness seeding.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun came into Ohio State’s rematch against Oregon in the Rose Bowl with a point to prove and each did just that.
Burke wanted to prove that his showing in the last meeting was nothing more than just a bad day and a better performance was on the horizon. The result was being targeted just once with no catches on his way to a Pro Football Focus grade of 70.1.
Igbinosun didn’t take lightly the way the Ducks’ receiver spoke of his ‘weaknesses’ heading into the College Football Playoff matchup. He allowed four catches on five targets but for only 45 yards and a score. He posted a grade of 65.3
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Here’s how the rest of the defense graded:
(PFF grades every player on every play and uses a scale of 0-100, with higher grades indicating better play. PFF has explained its grades this way: 100-90 elite; 89-85 Pro Bowler; 84-70 starter; 69-60 backup; 59-0 replaceable. In other words, it’s similar to how we would match up percentages with traditional letter grades in school.)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24982514/Quest_3_dock.jpg "Meta’s ‘software update issue’ has been breaking Quest headsets for weeks")
