Led by the playmaking and shooting of Deja Kelly and Elisa Mevius -- supplemented by the efficient play of Alexis Whitfield -- Oregon women's basketball put together one of its best offensive performances of the season to beat Minnesota, 76-70, on the road Sunday afternoon.
Kelly had 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Ducks (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten) after coming up clutch last time out against Washington. Mevius had a season-high 19 points on 7-8 shooting along with three assists and three steals, while Whitfield put up 13 points on 6-7 shooting.
Oregon shot 46% from the field and committed just six turnovers, overcoming a 42-26 advantage for Minnesota on the glass.
With back-to-back wins over teams in their range of the Big Ten standings, Oregon further asserted itself as a team above the bubble and potentially deserving of an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with three games to go.
The Gophers (19-8, 7-8) were led by Sophie Hart with 15 points and Amaya Battle with 14.
In a tilt between two defensive-oriented teams, including a Minnesota side that ranks No. 2 in the nation in turnovers, Sunday's game began as a rock fight before opening up as it went along. The Gophers took a 6-3 lead early as Oregon missed several outside shots.
Oregon's full-court trap was initially causing Minnesota issues as the Ducks led, 7-6, but the Gophers figured it out en route to a 11-7 lead late in the first.
A buzzer-beating halfcourt shot by Battle gave Minnesota a 16-14 lead through one, and it carried the momentum into the second quarter.
Including Battle's heave, Minnesota rattled off a 10-0 run to take a 23-14 lead on the Ducks early in the second quarter. Oregon was struggling to shoot and were being dominated on the boards, and things appeared to be heading in the wrong direction.
Then, Mevius took over.
The slashing, playmaking forward from Germany picked up two steals and went 6-6 from the field in the first half, scoring a team-high 15 points.
Mevius' outside shooting was lethal as she hit three three-pointers, including one that preceded a steal and layup to give the Ducks a 37-33 lead at half.
It continued for Mevius into the third quarter, as her fourth three of the night got her up to 18 points and gave Oregon a nine-point advantage.
The Ducks continued finding success on the fastbreak, and it led to a 52-41 advantage with 3:30 to go in the third quarter. Mevius' passing, including a dime to a cutting Whitfield, was key throughout, as was the playmaking of Kelly.
While Minnesota got back within six late in the third, Kelly's midrange pull-up got it back to 55-47, and a buzzer-beating putback layup by Whitfield made it 57-47 through three.
Kelly's jumper with 6:43 to go gave Oregon its largest lead of the night at 14.
With Minnesota attempting a comeback late, Whitfield's strong play on offense -- including a bucket to get it back to 10 with just over three minutes left -- lifted Oregon. The Gophers would not relent, though, getting it down to 67-63 in just 30 seconds with a pair of three-pointers.
Amina Muhammad would make one of two free throws, giving the Ducks a five-point lead with 2:17 to go. Minnesota couldn't lift the lid on the basket, though, failing to get closer than four despite several opportunities as it played the foul game the rest of the way.
For whatever reason, the Gophers chose not to intentionally foul Kelly when down four with under 30 seconds to go. She scored and earned a free throw, which she missed, but the lead stood at six for Oregon and ended up at six after several minutes of fouling and back-and-forth play.