Scott leads Ducks to victory in her first-ever NCAA Tournament game

DURHAM, N.C. — When the calendar flips to March, every victory becomes a little bit harder and means a little bit more. On Friday in its first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Vanderbilt, Oregon learned first-hand how difficult it is to win in March and how sweet it can taste.

The 10th-seeded Ducks (20-11) led the No. 7 seed Commodores (22-11) by 19 in the second half, only to see the lead completely evaporate when Leilani Kapinus hit a layup with four seconds left to send the game into overtime. But Oregon's senior leaders weren't ready to see their season, and collegiate careers, come to an end in a 77-73 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"I'm just really proud of our team," said UO head coach Kelly Graves. "Before the game, I talked about our grit and our toughness. I think that's the one defining characteristic we've had all year, and we showed that late in the game with the defensive stops."

Oregon held the lead for over 36 straight minutes, but trailed by two, 70-68, after a Vandy 3-pointer early in overtime. Nani Falatea answered with her fourth 3-pointer of the night and Peyton Scott took a key charge and scored four of UO's final six points, including a pair of free throws to essentially put the game away with seven seconds remaining.

(Editor’s note: This was the first NCAA women’s basketball tournament appearance for Scott, a Lynchburg-Clay HS graduate.)

"She's been our heart and soul the last two years," said Graves of Scott, a sixth-year senior who missed last year with a knee injury. "Peyton means everything to us. She is a Duck through and through. She is what makes us who we are."

Scott finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and was one of three Ducks to score in double figures. Graduate guard Deja Kelly dropped a team-high 20 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Falatea added 17 points behind her four 3-pointers.

"It's March, so I think that that's what these games are about," Kelly said. "There's lots of ups and downs. I think for us we were all just so dialed in. I'm really proud of our fight."

How It Happened: The Ducks hit their first two shots from the floor, a 3-pointer from Falatea and a jumper from Kelly, in opening up a 5-2 lead in the opening minutes. UO's offense sputtered after that, connecting on just one of its next seven field goals and trailed 8-7 at the game's first media timeout.

Defensively, the Ducks put the clamps on Vanderbilt, who shot 3-for-14 from the floor and 0-for-3 from deep in the first quarter. UO held the Commodores scoreless over the final four minutes of the quarter, while it tallied the final five points to take a 12-9 lead through 10 minutes.

The Oregon offense found its footing in the second quarter, knocking down 8-of-9 shots from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Sofia Bell drilled back-to-back triples in the quarter to help the Ducks spark an 8-0 run. A Scott 3-pointer stretched the lead to 13 points as part of a 13-1 run, helping Oregon stake a 36-25 halftime lead.

The Commodores finished the half 8-for-27 from the floor and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Eight Vandy points came off 11 UO turnovers, but the Oregon bench produced 15 points to Vanderbilt's one. Freshman Katie Fiso scored eight points in the half while connecting on all four field goal attempts to lead the Ducks in the half.

Seven Ducks got into the scoring column in the opening half, with five players recording at least six points. Scott scored seven points while Bell, Falatea and Kelly each contributed six points.

The offensive momentum carried over to the second half, as Oregon scored the first seven points of the third on its way to a 12-4 spurt. The run featured five points from both Falatea and Kelly, stretching the lead to 19, 48-29, to force a Vanderbilt timeout.

Vandy trimmed the lead to 11 with less than 90 seconds remaining in the quarter behind a 12-5 burst, but the Ducks took a 55-43 lead into the final frame. Falatea finished with eight points in the quarter, knocking down all three field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers. Kelly added seven points and had 13 points after 30 minutes.

A Kelly three started the fourth for the Ducks, but a nine-point Vanderbilt run midway through the fourth trimmed UO's lead to just five, 62-57. Out of a timeout, Scott knocked down a jumper to end the run and then a layin from Phillipina Kyei pushed the lead back to nine, 66-57, with under four minutes to play.

Vanderbilt then put together an 8-0 run to claw within a point and after a Kelly free throw, UO led by two. Kapinus hit a layup with four seconds on the clock to tie the score at 67, and a last-second 3-point try by Bell went off the mark as time expired to send the game to overtime.

UO trailed early in the overtime period, its first deficit since the first quarter, after a Commodore 3-pointer. Falatea answered with a three of her own to reclaim the lead and, with the game tied at 73, the Ducks tallied the final four points of the night, including a pair of free throws by Scott in the closing seconds to ice it and send the Ducks to the round of 32.

"The most important thing is they believe," Graves added. "My team believes that they can win these games even when things weren't going right there for a good portion of that last quarter."

Notable: Oregon has advanced out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament every time as a 10 seed (fourth time) and is now 6-3 in the tournament as a No. 10 seed ... Graves now has 10 wins as a double-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament in his coaching career (most among active Division I head coaches) … The win was Oregon's first against Vanderbilt (1-2), with this being the first meeting since the 1994-95 season … Kelly turned in her team-leading eighth 20-point game on the season and five of those coming over the last seven games.

Up Next: The Ducks will take on host and No. 2-seed Duke on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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