Huskies Make First Trip To Matt Arena On Saturday
12/30/11 | Women's Basketball
Washington at Oregon LIVE COVERAGE
• Date: Saturday, Dec. 31
• Time: 2:00 PM
• Venue: Matthew Knight Arena
• TV: Comcast SportsNet Northwest; Terry Jonz, play-by-play; Jennie Leander, color
• Radio: KUGN 590 AM in Eugene/Springfield; Ryan Goff, play-by-play
• Webcast: O-Zone
• Live Audio: O-Zone • Live Stats: www.GoDucks.com
• Twitter: @OregonWBB for in-game updates, stats, etc
• Facebook
• vs. Washington : Oregon leads 42-41
Washington, Dec. 31 – Drop the Ball with Paul
Visit your local Bi-Mart, Carl's Jr., or Oregon Community Credit Union to pick up a coupon for $5 off reserved tickets. Also, the Oregon women's basketball team will be signing autographs after the game.
Arizona, Jan. 12 - Pack The Pit
The Ducks will be giving away Pit Crew shoes, 100 pizzas and 200 T-shirts, and the team will be signing autographs after the game.
Arizona State, Jan. 14 - Social Media Day
Purchase $3 GA tickets through the promo code on the Oregon Facebook page, and get Mac Club access, an autographed team poster and a special Q&A session with the players after the game.
THIS WEEK
Oregon (8-5, 0-1) hosts Washington (8-3, 0-1) at 2 p.m., Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena as the Ducks continue the opening weekend of Pac-12 play.
Both the Ducks and the Huskies opened conference play with losses as UO scored a season low 47 points in a 75-47 loss to Washington State, while Washington suffered a 60-55 defeat at Oregon State.
Saturday's game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet Northwest with Terry Jonz moving over from radio to call all the play-by-play action, while former California women's basketball player Jennie Leander will join him on the broadcast.
HEALTH REPORT
• Freshman center Janitah Iamaleava suffered a season-ending left knee injury during a pre-season practice that will keep her off the floor for the 2011-12 season.
• Oregon leading scorer and rebounder Amanda Johnson suffered a left thumb fracture on Dec. 11 in a loss at Denver. She is expected to be out of action a minimum of two more weeks.
• The Ducks were without senior Nia Jackson in Thursday's loss to Washington State. The point guard is day-to-day with right knee trouble.
WASHINGTON NOTES
• Oregon holds a 42-41 advantage in the all-time series against Washington, including a 25-13 mark in Eugene. In the Paul Westhead era, the Ducks and Huskies have split the series in the last two years, with each team picking up two wins on their respective home courts.
• The last time Washington was in Eugene, the Ducks defeated the Huskies 68-64, playing the final game ever at McArthur Court, and closing the historic building with a win. The clubs split the series last year, and Nia Jackson led the Ducks averaging 22.0 points per game, while Kristi Kingma (sister of Oregon men's basketball freshman Brett Kingma) led the Huksies averaging 20.5 ppg. Kingma is out the 2011-12 season with an ACL injury.
• Saturday's game will mark Washington's first visit to Matthew Knight Arena. The Huskies were last victorious in Eugene on Dec. 21, 2006 with a 60-56 victory.
• The meeting between Oregon and Washington will feature three graduates of Chief Sealth High School in Seattle. Oregon's Nia Jackson was a 2007 grad along with Washington's Regina Rogers. UW senior Charmaine Barlow followed the pair graduating in 2008.
• The Huskies are led by Regina Rogers' 17.8 points (3rd Pac-12) and 8.2 rebounds per game. Jazmine Davis is the only other play on the roster averaging double figures with 11.4 points per game. The Husky offense averages 65.5 points per game, and holds opponents to 55.4 points per game and a .330 clip from the floor. UW is also outrebounding opponents 44.2-35.8.
• Washington and Oregon have played two like opponents this season, with UW defeating Cal State Northridge 73-67 (Nov. 19) and Portland, 61-49, on Dec. 8 in Seattle. Oregon also posted victories against both clubs.
LAST TIME OUT
Oregon was forced to play its Pac-12 opener without two of its seniors and team captains on the floor, and it showed as the Ducks suffered a 75-47 loss to Washington State on Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
Senior Amanda Johnson missed her fourth consecutive game with a left thumb fracture, and senior point guard Nia Jackson missed her first game of the year with right knee trouble. Jackson is listed as day-to-day.
Without two of their three leading scorers, the Ducks' offense scored a season low 47 points, and turned the ball over a season-high 24 times. Oregon shot just 25.8 percent (16-of-62) from the floor, and was outrebounded by the margin of 50-42. Also, for the sixth time this season, a UO opponent drained at least 10 three-pointers as the Ducks suffered a 28-point loss, their largest margin of defeat this year.
BEGINNING PAC-12 PLAY
Oregon began its season 6-0, not suffering its first loss until an 81-71 defeat at Fresno State on Dec. 1. On Dec. 11 at Denver, the Ducks suffered their second loss of the year, 89-65, to the Pioneers. During that game, Oregon also lost senior and leading scorer and rebounder Amanda Johnson to a broken left thumb.
The Ducks have lost five of their last seven games dating back to Dec. 1, and UO is 1-3 without Johnson in the lineup. Without their leading scorer and rebounder, the Ducks are averaging 65.5 points per game, compared to 83.3 ppg before her injury. In its last four games, UO is also suffering a -5.3 rebounding margin, compared to +3.7 with Johnson starting.
TREY TROUBLE
On six occasions this season, Oregon has allowed an opponent to knock down at least 10 three-pointers in a game. On the season, the Ducks have allowed opponents to knock down 127 long-distance shots as opponents are shooting 37.7 percent from 3-point range.
In its last eight games, Oregon has a 3-5 record, and has allowed opponents to knock down a total of 82 three-pointers (10.3 per game). In the last eight games, UO opponents have been shooting a remarkable 40.4 percent from three-point range compared to Oregon at 29.5 percent. In the last eight games, an opponent has had an individual player knock down at least five three-pointers on seven occasions: KK Babin 5-9 (Nicholls State), Rosie Moult 5-14 and Ki-Ki Moore 5-8 (Fresno State), ReZina Teclemariam 6-11 (Portland), Morgan Van Riper-Rose 5-5 (Denver), Danika Sharp 5-10 (Nevada) and Jasmine Smith (7-14) Saint Mary's.
PLAYING FAST
Head coach Paul Westhead said before the season started that he wanted his team playing even faster. After UO's 6-0 start, the Ducks were averaging 87.7 points per game, but that number has dropped to 77.8 points per game (2nd Pac-12) with the absence of Johnson for the last four games.
During head coach Paul Westhead's three years at Oregon, the Ducks have finished in the country's top-15 in scoring in back-to-back seasons, averaging 81.4 points (2010, 2nd) and 73.3 points per game (2011, 15th). In fact, during the last two seasons, the Ducks have averaged 79.0 points per game overall, out done only by Oral Roberts (84.7 ppg) and Gonzaga (82.7 ppg). In the last three years, Oregon has produced seven 100-point games, recording a 6-1 mark in those contests.
Oregon's 7.6 three-pointers per game rank first in the Pac-12, and the Ducks entered last week ranking 15th in the nation. The Ducks have proven to be a deadly three-point shooting team, finishing third in the country averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game in 2011, while ranking seventh in 2010 knocking down 8.4 long-distance buckets per game.
DOUBLE-FIGURES
• Oregon has recorded four wins by 10 points or more.
• Oregon's roster has totaled 40 occasions of players scoring in double figures led by Jasmin Holliday (12).
• The Ducks have also posted 10 double-figure rebounding efforts led by Amanda Johnson (6).
SCHEDULE
The Ducks have compiled a difficult schedule as 14 of their opponents reached the postseason a year ago. Nine teams played in the 2011 Women's National Invitation Tournament, and five appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
SENIOR MOMENT
Senior Jasmin Holliday worked harder than ever this offseason, and apparently hard work pays off. The native of Chino Hills, Calif., is averaging a career-best 16.4 points per game, and in the last four games without Amanda Johnson has improved that mark to 18.3 ppg. Also in the last four games, Holliday has led Oregon in scoring and rebounding on three occasions.
She leads the team with 12 double-figure scoring games, already besting her best season total of eight from her sophomore campaign. The Chino Hills, Calif., native is also shooting a team-leading 52.6 percent from the floor.
Holliday set a new career high scoring 26 points in a loss at Nevada on Dec. 14. This season, Holliday has posted four 20-point efforts, three double-doubles, has led the Ducks in scoring on five occasions, while leading the club in rebounding five times as well.
AWARD WINNER
Before two knee injuries sidelined her for the final nine games of last season, senior guard Nia Jackson led the Pac-10 averaging 17.0 points and 5.7 assists per game. Despite missing the final half of conference play, Jackson was named to the 2011 Pac-10 First Team and the 2011 Media All-Pac-10 Team.
The Ducks were 12-9 with Jackson in the lineup, and 1-8 in the final nine games of the year without her. The Ducks averaged 80.5 points per game with Jackson in the lineup, and 66.7 points per game without her.
The Seattle native has returned from off-season surgery and is cleared to play, but is continuing to regain her strength and stamina. She missed her first game of the year with right knee trouble on Dec. 29 against Washington State.
Currently Jackson is averaging 9.7 points and a team-leading 4.2 assists per game. Jackson's 178 career steals tie for fifth all-time, and her 306 career assists rank ninth. Jackson has delivered at least six assists on four occasions this year.
JOHNSON ON FIRE
Before her injury, Oregon senior forward Amanda Johnson had recorded six double-doubles in nine games this season, along with eight double-figure scoring games.
The Santa Rosa, Calif., native's average of 20.1 points per game ranked second in the Pac-12 and 16th in the country, while her 10.7 rebounds per game rank third in the conference and 15th in the nation.
Johnson's career numbers include; 1,327 points (11th), 797 rebounds (8th), 142 three-pointers (7th), 178 steals (5th), 26 double-doubles (7th), 65 double-figure scoring games, three 30-point games, 18 20-point games, 33 times leading the club in scoring and 62 occasions leading the team in rebounding.
ENTERING THE STARTING LINEUP
After ending the 2010-11 season starting the last nine games of the year, Deanna Weaver and Ariel Thomas started their sophomore season on the bench as both battled injuries.
Due to Amanda Johnson's left thumb injury, Weaver has replaced her in the starting lineup. After missing three games at the start of the year with a toe injury, Weaver started her first game of the year at Nevada on Dec. 14. She scored a career-high 18 points in the loss. She is currently averaging 7.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
In the absence of Nia Jackson last season, Thomas took over point guard duties and started the final nine games of the year, averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game during that stretch.
With Jackson back on the floor, Thomas has moved into the starting role at shooting guard, registering her first start of the year at Nevada. She missed the first three games of the year with Achilles trouble, and is currently averaging 7.8 points per game.
FINALIZING THE TRIO
Sophomore Danielle Love finalizes the starting front court trio of herself, Deanna Weaver and Jasmin Holliday. The Everett, Wash., native has recorded three new career scoring highs this year. The latest was a 16-point effort in a Dec. 4 win over Portland. She added 10 rebounds and a career-best five assists, recording her first double-double this season and the second of her career.
Love is the one player head coach Paul Westhead can't take out of the game as she is playing a team-best 32.3 minutes per game.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Oregon's freshman class was ranked 49th in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz.
SHE'S A SHOOTER
Freshman guard Jordan Loera is a second generation Duck as her mother, Lori Carver Loera, played basketball at UO from 1983-84.
Loera scored a career-high and team-high tying 17 points in an 89-77 victory over UC Irvine, while also knocking down a career-best five three-pointers. The Moses Lake, Wash., native is averaging 6.9 points per game, and leads the Ducks with 22 three-pointers.
RUNNING THE FLOOR
Freshman forward Lexi Petersen (Tukwila, Wash.) won four straight conference titles at Seattle Christian HS, and was a two-time Nisqually 1A Player of the Year (2009, 2010). In Westhead's system, Petersen's speed has been put to good use. The rookie is averaging 4.6 points per game.
A FIRST
Freshman guard Amanda Delgado (Las Vegas/Liberty HS) was named the 2011 Gatorade Nevada Girls Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 16.1 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior. Delgado has appeared off the bench in eight games, and on Thursday against Washington State posted a career-high three assists.
UNDER THE BASKET
Freshman center Megan Carpenter (Longmont, Colo./Longmont HS) was a two-time all-4A Northern Conference selection and two-time Longmont Times Call all-area selection in 2010 and 2011. Carpenter is averaging 3.4 rebounds per game.
RUNNING THE POINT
Junior point guard Laura Stanulis continues to handle back-up point guard duties as Ariel Thomas spends time at shooting guard. A former walk-on and now on scholarship, Stanulis is averaging a career-best 4.4 points per game, and is also second on the team with 34 assists.
NEW ADDITION
Oregon freshman Liz Brenner joined the UO women's basketball team officially on Dec. 19 after being cleared for competition by the NCAA. Brenner recently finished her freshman season competing for the UO women's volleyball team.
With three games under her belt, Brenner has played a total of 55 minutes, averaging 3.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
