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QuickTake:
UO was down and needed to toughen up. Kelly Graves called on Janiyah Williams, whose 12 points in 16 minutes gave Oregon a big boost in its come-from-behind win over Nebraska.
For college basketball diehards — the ones who know the sport starts long before the brackets are released in March — the reward comes in the form of the unexpected.
Yes, throughout a season, the big names will get their buckets and probabilities often win out. But then there are also moments such as Thursday, Feb. 19, at Matthew Knight Arena, when a true freshman who hadn’t scored since New Year’s Day proved a catalyst in a come-from-behind victory.
It was Janiyah Williams for the Ducks who came out of proverbial nowhere. She had 12 points in 16 minutes in Oregon’s 80-76 win over Nebraska, providing the Ducks with a much-needed spark in a second half that saw UO open the fourth quarter down by 10 points.
Williams hadn’t seen the floor since Jan. 28 and hadn’t scored since Jan. 1 against Northwestern. But when Oregon’s sluggishness from their Feb. 15 loss to Washington in Seattle carried over against a Cornhuskers team that arrived in Eugene on a five-game losing streak, Oregon coach Kelly Graves needed something different out on the floor.
“We put her in basically because they were being physical with us, and we were playing a little soft,” Graves said. “She’s fearless and went in and played like it.”
The 5-foot-9 guard first entered with 2:31 to play in the second quarter with the Ducks down eight. A minute later, she vanquished her scoreless streak with a three.
“Seeing that first three felt good because I don’t remember the last time I made a shot in a game,” Williams said. “Obviously, that felt good.”
She had a pair of buckets at the hoop and a steal in the third quarter, had five points and another steal in the fourth, and checked out of the game with 20 seconds left with a plus-21 plus-minus and Oregon leading by four.
Afterward, she wore a braces-filled smile during the team’s celebratory run through the student section and the ensuing autograph sessions with fans.
And while the Ducks (19-9 overall, 7-8 in the Big Ten) got a massive performance from the expected on Thursday — sophomore guard Katie Fiso scored 12 of her 19 points as the Ducks closed in the fourth quarter — it was Williams who made the difference in a much-needed win for the Ducks.
“It was only a matter of time when it was going to be showcased on the big screen,” Fiso said of Williams. “I see it in practice every day. I see the work she puts in. Whenever I text and say, ‘You want to get an early workout?’ she’s always a person that’s going to be there. I’m proud of her. Man, I know how hard it is to be a freshman coming off that bench and trying to stay ready, and she did an excellent job.”
To be clear, Williams isn’t exactly a nobody. She was a four-star recruit out of Oklahoma, the No. 53 player in the class of 2025 and has shown a knack for the moment.
It was just a year ago that Williams hit a shot at the buzzer to force overtime and then an ensuing shot at the horn to propel Edmond Memorial to a 58-56 win over Mustang.
She’s fearless, as Graves said. Still, the beauty of college basketball is few people back in November would have penciled Williams in for 12 points — or Ehis Etute pocketing her third 20-plus point game in her last five outings — in leading the Ducks to a key conference win.
“Our fans can’t complain about boring basketball,” Graves said of the February Thursday night in Eugene. “That was a hell of a game.”
A projected eight seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN, the Ducks have three regular-season games left before the Big Ten Tournament begins in Indianapolis on March 4. And if called upon again as the schedule winds down and the intensity ratchets up, Williams said she’s confident in her ability to ignite a spark again.
“Every day in practice I’m putting in that work,” Williams said. “Sometimes you got to let that joint fly, let go and let God.”
