The third quarter has been kind to No. 8 ASU women's basketball all season, but on Friday against a talented Oregon team, it made all the difference.
In the first leg of its road trip through the Beaver state, the Sun Devils (18-3, 9-0 Pac-12) bested the Ducks (14-6, 3-6 Pac-12) by a score of 63-58 after trailing big early on.
In what was an otherwise off night from the field for the team as it shot 37 percent, the Sun Devils were led in the scoring department by junior forward Kelsey Moos with 17.
Jillian Alleyne, the Pac-12's leading rebounder, was dominant once again on the boards in this game. Alleyne pulled down 21 rebounds to go along with 19 points. Alleyne is now the all-time leader in Pac-12 history for career double-doubles.
Freshman guard Maite Cazorla had a quality outing for Oregon as well, scoring 17 points and dishing out six assists.
Oregon opened up an early nine-point lead thanks to a 7-0 run catalyzed by the hot shooting of senior guard Lexi Petersen. Facing a 14-5 deficit, the Sun Devils were in unfamiliar territory from the very beginning of this game.
The Ducks matched ASU's pace throughout the first quarter and shot 58%, holding a 16-10 lead after one.
Alleyne's rebounding performance was vital to the Ducks' success (as per usual), and that contribution was evidenced by a point in the second quarter where she had 12 rebounds, and the rest of the team had one total.
A jumper by freshman forward Kianna Ibis broke a scoring drought for the Sun Devils that lasted over four minutes, and ASU got back within one before a 6-0 run by Oregon propelled it to a 27-20 lead at the half.
The Ducks, led by the stellar play of Alleyne, held a 19-13 rebounding advantage at the half.
In her halftime interview with Pac-12 networks, ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne appeared visibly upset with her team's effort as it trailed by seven with 20 minutes of basketball left to be played.
Whatever Turner Thorne said to the Sun Devils in the locker room at Matthew Knight Arena, it worked.
ASU opened up the third quarter with a 15-0 scoring run to take a 35-27 lead, led by seven consecutive points by Moos and a pair of threes (one banked in) from senior guard Elisha Davis.
The Sun Devil defense locked down Oregon in its typical, stifling fashion, holding the Ducks to six points in the entire third quarter. ASU held a 46-33 lead through three quarters of play.
In the fourth, Alleyne and Oregon made a strong attempt at a comeback that fell short. Despite winning the final frame by a margin of 25-17, the Ducks couldn't get a much-needed victory on their home floor.
After escaping Eugene with a much-needed victory of its own, ASU's next test will be 37 miles down the road in Corvallis against No. 9 Oregon State. Whoever wins Monday's matchup will take over the number one spot in the Pac-12 standings.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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