Heading into Friday night’s matchup against Oregon State, Oregon had as many freshmen in its starting lineup as it did years of Civil War experience – three.

“I thought we played extremely hard,” head coach Kelly Graves said after the game. “This was a young team that grew up a bit tonight.”

No. 11 Oregon State edged out Oregon 43-40 in the first game of the weekend series. The two teams will face off again in Corvallis on Sunday. While the Ducks didn’t come away with the win on their home floor, it was their youth which shined before a crowd of 4,370 at Matthew Knight Arena.

“The energy was crazy in there,” said Sabrina Ionescu. “It’s something that I’ve never experienced.”

As they have all season, the underclassmen carried the way. All but five of Oregon’s points were the product of their first and second year players. In her first Civil War, Ionescu led the way with a game-high 14 points.

“Sabrina plays like a veteran,” Oregon State head coach Scott Reuck said. “She’s a competitor. She lives for the big moment.”

The freshman guard lived for the big moment on Friday, as has become routine. She scored the go-ahead bucket to put Oregon up 37-36 with 2:47 remaining – capping off an 8-0 Oregon run. During the season, Ionescu has continued to impress – whether it’s her three triple-doubles, buzzer-beater at Cal, or her battle back to the court after a broken thumb.

Maite Cazorla, a sophomore, had a solid game on both ends of the floor for the Ducks. The guard pitched in with 12 points of her own, along with the tough task of guarding Oregon State’s Sydney Wiese, who Graves called “the most important player in the conference.”

“She’s tough,” Cazorla said of Wiese. “I was just trying to keep her honest.”

Ruthy Hebard, the reigning Pac-12 player of the week, was contained to only five points in 34 minutes of action.

“It takes a big effort to do that,” Reuck said. “Ruthy is a relentless in her effort. She’s a great athlete and plays extremely hard.”

While Oregon’s productivity runs through its youth, Oregon State relies heavily on its veteran playmakers. Upperclassmen scored all but one of the team’s 43 points.

“They have veteran kids who have been through these wars,” said Graves. “And they win most of them.”

While Graves and his players are focusing on the present, they don’t have to look too far to see the success of their battle-tested in-state rival. The Beavers are atop the Pac-12 standings and will head into March as a legitimate Final Four threat.

Oregon is not on that level yet.

But with a roster stacked with players like Ionescu, Hebard and Cazorla, the Ducks have a high ceiling. In a rivalry environment, Oregon’s newcomers proved they can fight back, even clawing back from a 10-point deficit.

“I think we’re going to have a great shot [on Sunday],” said Ionescu. “We’re going to bring it.”

Follow Cole Kundich on Twitter @ckundich

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