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Endyia Rogers had a career-high 34 points as Oregon came from behind to down Oregon State.
EUGENE — Kelly Graves will tell you this is what Oregon thought it was getting when the Ducks brought in transfer guard Endyia Rogers from USC two seasons ago.
But he’d be lying if he truly expected this.
“We’ve seen it from time to time, but tonight we saw it in all its glory,” he said.
What he saw on Sunday evening in Matthew Knight Arena was the type of performance that had him reminiscing about years past, and not just because the crowd had the arena rocking in a way it hasn’t all season.
Like these fans were frequently treated to, back when Sabrina Ionescu set the tempo for those Duck teams, it was the hyper-efficient, all-around performance of one guard that catalyzed an Oregon victory.
Rogers set a career-high in scoring, with 34. She hit 6-of-10 3-pointers and drained all eight of her free throws. Her total command and her floor game — nine rebounds, six assists — ultimately undid the Oregon State Beavers 75-67, in what was a very real, and very early come-from-behind conference win for No. 17 Oregon.
“It looked like a late February game against two teams that are not only looking to get into the NCAA tournament, but to up their seed,” Graves said.
It’s only December, but Rogers darn-near looked Tournament ready as she cut through a 60-53 deficit in the fourth quarter with a barrage of deep 3s.
“Just keep feeding her,” Oregon guard Te-Hina Paopao said. “That’s how we won the game.”
“This is not a democracy,” Graves added. “You feed the hot hand.”
But the dagger came when, up 65-62 with 1:20 to go, Rogers passed up on a well-earned heat check and instead opted for an extra pass to freshman Chance Gray, who delivered the final blow with a corner three.
Rogers was framed as this team’s alpha this offseason. These Ducks lacked bite last year and losing forward Sedona Prince before the season began only furthered the need for an in-house ascension in that department. Against the Beavers, Rogers scored 14 of Oregon’s final 21 points, spurring her team to a 22-7 game-sealing run and decisively killing any chance of a rivalry loss.
The guard had shown glimpses of this caliber of scoring prowess before, but was oft-inefficient on a night-to-night basis. She’s shed that label. Rogers now sits at fourth nationally in 3-point shooting at 56 percent. And against the Beavers, she largely set the table for herself, with most of her career-high coming off dribble pull ups.
“I’m not sure [Scott Rueck] has had a team give up that kind of a night to a player… He’s game-planned so well,” Graves said of Oregon State’s coach.
Graves has had his own shrewd moments from the sideline. On Sunday, his decision to take center Phillipina Kyei out for the majority of the fourth quarter, and ride a four-guard lineup with two freshmen during crunch time, had as much to do with Oregon’s win as the searing hot shooting of Rogers.
That combination — a coach with serious years under his belt now, and a host of players who are not only qualified to lead this team in scoring game to game, but have a keen sense of when, and who, to feed — could carry this team as deep as its been since those days Graves was reminded of tonight.
Oregon football still has a bowl game to be played, but after late season losses to both rivals, much of the buzz surrounding the program has already shifted towards next season and whatever additions coach Dan Lanning can make to a suddenly depleted roster.
Oregon’s men’s basketball team is picking up steam — powered, too, by the play of a star guard — but is still more of a projection than firm reality.
The school’s volleyball team made it to the NCAA Tournament, even sparking a run to the Elite Eight, but that’s now come to a close.
Meanwhile, Rogers and this women’s basketball team are here, now. These Ducks are the realest team in town and having one of the country’s hottest-shooting players doesn’t hurt.
“I think now, with some confidence, doing what she did in a game like this, who knows,” Graves said. “Maybe she can keep it going.”
— Shane Hoffmann
@shane_hoffmann
