Trailing by 16 points in the second half gave Katie Fiso a familiar feeling.
The Ducks had been here before, but she knew there was a way out.
“I just encouraged myself and my team that the game’s not over,” Fiso said. “We still have a lot of time.”
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon head coach Kelly Graves talks to his team as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon head coach Kelly Graves talks to his team as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Hawaii guard Bailey Flavell, right, presses towards the basket under cover from Oregon forward Ehis Etute as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon guard Katie Fiso shoots for three as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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Katie Fiso sparks Oregon comeback win over Washington State
Oregon guard Katie Fiso celebrates a three-pointer as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Hawaii guard Teyahna Bond takes a shot as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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Mallory Heyer impresses in Oregon women’s debut vs. Hawaii
Hawaii center Ritorya Tamilo, left, blocks a shot by Oregon forward Filippa Tilliander as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon forward Ehis Etute looks to pass as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon forward Mallory Heyer takes a shot for three as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon forward Mallory Heyer takes a shot for three as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon head coach Kelly Graves calls to his team as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon forward Filippa Tilliander snags a rebound as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon forward Ehis Etute, center, looks to shoot under cover from Hawaii center Ritorya Tamilo as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
The Oregon bench celebrates a three as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
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See photos as Oregon women’s basketball hosts Hawaii to open season
Oregon guard Katie Fiso moves the ball up the court as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard)
They certainly did as Oregon rallied for a 64-57 nonconference women’s basketball win against Washington State on Nov. 6 at Matthew Knight Arena.
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Fiso finished with a team-high 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists. She scored 11 of her points in the second half, which began with the Ducks (2-0) trailing 36-22 before falling behind 41-25 by the 8:40 mark of the third quarter.
“It’s not a position that we’ve never been in before,” Fiso said. “A lot of last year’s games came down to that. We would start amping in up when were down 13. Hopefully we can change that model this year.”
Fiso started Oregon’s rally with a 3-pointer and a layup, and then her teammates joined in to help dig the Ducks out of their double-digit hole.
Brooklynn Haywood scored nine of her 14 points in the second half, and Avary Cain scored all 11 of her points after halftime. Those two combined to go 7 for 10 from 3-point range.
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As a team, Oregon was 9 of 33 from the field until Fiso’s 3 cut the Ducks’ deficit to 41-28 in the third quarter. From then on, they went 15 of 29 from the field – including 10 for 14 in the third quarter.
Oregon moved ahead 48-47 on the first basket of the fourth quarter. The Ducks and Cougars traded a one-shot lead for the next five minute before Oregon began to pull away.
“Our kids didn’t quit,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “We started to get some pace in transition, the tempo of the game changed, defensively we were a little bit more on point. … I’m just glad we the game against a good team.”
Oregon guard Katie Fiso celebrates a three-pointer as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Nov. 2, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
What’s next for Oregon women’s basketball?
The Ducks hit the road for three straight games beginning with a game against Grand Canyon at 7 p.m. PT Monday in Phoenix, Ariz.
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The game will air live in CBS Sports Network.
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com.
