The Oregon Ducks leaned on a trio of starters to get past the visiting Idaho Vandals on Friday night.
Chance Gray, Grace VanSlooten and Phillipina Kyei combined for 53 points to carry the Ducks to a 59-51 victory in a nonconference women’s basketball game that 5,153 watched at Matthew Knight Arena.
Gray finished with 20 points despite shooting 5 of 13 from the field and 1 of 5 from three-point range. The sophomore guard did much of her damage from the free-throw line, where she was 9 of 9.
Kyei (16 points, 17 rebounds) notched her sixth double-double of the season, while VanSlooten (17 points, 10 rebounds) also had a double-double.
Oregon needed the big games from its three leading scorers on a night when starters Sofia Bell and Kennedy Basham each went scoreless.
The Ducks (5-3) led by eight points at halftime and never trailed in the second half, but the Vandals (4-4) twice got within one point in the fourth quarter.
Amalie Langer’s steal and layup for Idaho made it 47-46 with 6:41 to play, but then the Ducks used a 6-0 run to regain control. The Vandals would get no closer than four points down the rest of the way.
Kennedy Johnson scored 15 points for Idaho and Hope Butera added 13.
Oregon made just 1 of 11 threes (9.1%), while Idaho hit 7 of 28 (25%). But the Ducks knocked down 18 of 26 free throws, compared with the Vandals, who went 0 for 1 from the line.
Next up: Oregon vs. Portland State, 2 p.m. PT Saturday.