No. 4 UConn women’s basketball outmatched by No. 3 Oregon, 74-56

In its biggest loss in over a decade, and largest in the history of Gampel Pavilion, UConn women’s basketball fell to the third-ranked Oregon Ducks, 74-56.

A midrange jumper from Christyn Williams opened the scoring, but Oregon responded with a 10-0 run over the next five minutes that forced Geno Auriemma into a timeout.

The Husky offense finally kicked into gear and UConn started to close in on the lead. However, the Ducks hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a 10-point lead after the first quarter that quieted the raucous crowd at Gampel Pavilion.

In the second quarter, UConn made a dent in the Oregon lead twice, but struggled to make stops on the defensive end. After back-to-back threes from Crystal Dangerfield and Anna Makurat to get the Huskies within seven, the Ducks responded with a back-door layup and a three-pointer to push the lead out past double-digits again.

The Huskies again clawed within six only for the Ducks to come back with a 10-2 run in the waning minutes of the half. After 20 minutes, UConn trailed by 13.

Oregon continued to build its lead in the second half, going ahead by as many as 20 points at one point. UConn didn’t give up, fighting to cut it to 12 after a Makurat three but, like the first half, couldn’t get the stops necessary to mount a serious comeback. Oregon held on across the fourth quarter for the 18-point victory.

Dangerfield kept UConn in the game at times, scoring a team-high 19 points while shooting 7-of-11, including 4-of-6 from three. Makurat also came through with 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

Megan Walker had a long night, finishing with just eight points on just 3-of-16 shooting.

Oregon was visibly better from the opening tip, looking like a vintage UConn team with its passing on offense. The Ducks assisted on 21-of-30 baskets and dominated the post, scoring 44 points in the paint while outrebounding the Huskies 40-32.

Though superstar Sabrina Ionescu scored just 10 points, Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally torched UConn with 22 and 17 points, respectively.

It’s the first time UConn has lost a game at Gampel Pavilion since Jan. 5, 2013, a 73-72 loss to Notre Dame.

Next, UConn returns for a brief interlude to conference play on Friday against Memphis before hitting the road to face another top team in top-ranked South Carolina a week from Monday.