Oregon WBB Weekly Release: No. 4 Stanford
01/04/12 | Women's Basketball
Oregon at Stanford LIVE COVERAGE
• Date: Thursday, Jan. 5
• Time: 7:00 PM
• Venue: Maples Pavilion
• TV: None
• Radio: KUGN 590 AM in Eugene/Springfield; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Webcast: www.gostanford.com
• Live Audio: O-Zone • Live Stats: www.GoDucks.com
• Twitter: @OregonWBB for in-game updates, stats, etc
• Facebook
• vs. Stanford: Stanford leads 43-8
THIS WEEK
Oregon (9-5, 1-1) will hit the road this week and travel to Northern California to take on No. 4 Stanford (11-1, 2-0) and California (9-5, 0-2).
The Ducks' first stop will be at 7 p.m., Thursday at Maples Pavilion, a home where the Cardinal have won 69 straight games. The Ducks have only won once at Stanford in 25 attempts.
Oregon will then travel across the Bay to California for a 2 p.m. match up on Saturday afternoon. The last time Oregon visited Berkeley, the Ducks left Haas Pavilion with a 60-46 victory, ending a then 10-game losing streak to the Bears.
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 one more week.
STANFORD NOTES
• Stanford is ranked No. 4 in the national polls this week.
• Stanford's winning streak against conference opponents (including postseason games) has been extended to a record 59 games after opening weekend wins over USC and UCLA. The Cardinal have won a school-record 69 consecutive home games.
• Thursday will be a battle between the Pac-12's top scoring offenses. Stanford currently leads the league averaging 81.6 points per game, and ranks sixth in the country. The Ducks are averaging 78.6 ppg, ranking second in the Pac-12 and tying for 14th in the nation.
• Stanford also leads the conference in scoring margin (23.3 ppg), field-goal percentage (.476, 8th nation), assists (18.3 apg, 9th nation), rebound margin (15.4, 4th nation) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4, 4th nation).
• Oregon is 1-24 all-time at Stanford. The Ducks' only victory at Maples Pavilion was just the third meeting ever between the two programs as UO prevailed, 63-54, on March 5, 1987.
• Stanford is led by senior Nnemkadi Ogwumike's 23.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as both marks lead the Pac-12, and rank sixth and seventh in the nation, respectively.
• Stanford and Oregon played just one shared opponent this season. The Cardinal defeated Fresno State, 93-59, on Dec. 4, while the Ducks suffered an 81-71 loss at Fresno State on Dec. 1.
LAST TIME OUT
Oregon had to depend on made free throws and tough rebounding down the stretch to secure its first Pac-12 win of the 2012 campaign by taking down rival Washington, 88-86, on Saturday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.
With 16 seconds left in the game, and after trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, sophomore Deanna Weaver knocked down a crucial three-pointer, giving Oregon (9-5, 1-1) its first lead of the second half.
Ariel Thomas ended the game with a team-leading 21 points, including shooting 5-for-13 from beyond the arc while pulling down a career-high tying seven boards. Nia Jackson recorded 19 points, earning 11 of those at the free-throw line. Weaver, Jasmin Holliday and Jordan Loera rounded out the Ducks with double figures with 13, 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Ducks also knocked down a season-bet 13 three-pointers.
BEGINNING PAC-12 PLAY
Since Amanda Johnson suffered a broken left thumb at Denver on Dec. 11, the Ducks had posted a 1-3 record, struggling to find their offensive rhythm and averaging just 65.5 points per game, compared to 83.3 ppg before her injury. But in last Saturday's victory over Washington, Oregon scored 88 points - its most since an 88-78 win over Portland on Dec. 4 - and also knocked down a season best 13 three-pointers.
For the first time during the 2011-12 campaign, Oregon also overcame a halftime deficit in its win over Washington.
NATIONAL TOP 25
Oregon currently ranks second in the Pac-12 and 14th in the nation averaging 78.6 points per game. The Ducks' 8.0 three-pointers per game lead the Pac-12 and rank ninth in the nation, while UO's 12.5 steals per game lead the league and rank 25th in the country. Oregon's 5.4 blocked shots per game rank 22nd.
TREY TROUBLE
On seven occasions this season, Oregon has allowed an opponent to knock down at least 10 three-pointers in a game. On the year, the Ducks have allowed opponents to drain 139 long-distance shots as opponents are shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range.
In its last nine games, Oregon has a 4-5 record, and has allowed opponents to knock down a total of 94 three-pointers (10.4 per game). In the last nine games, UO opponents have been shooting a remarkable 41.2 percent from three-point range compared to Oregon at 30.3 percent. In the last nine games, an opponent has had an individual player knock down at least five three-pointers on eight 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), Jasmine Smith (7-14) Saint Mary's and Kellie McCann-Smith 6-11 (Washington).
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 78.6 points per game (2nd Pac-12) with the absence of Johnson for the last five 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 8.0 three-pointers per game rank first in the Pac-12 and ninth 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. The Ducks have also posted a 4-1 record in games decided by four points or less.
• Oregon's roster has totaled 45 occasions of players scoring in double figures led by Jasmin Holliday (13).
• The Ducks have also posted 10 double-figure rebounding efforts led by Amanda Johnson (6).
• Oregon has recorded four games with 10 or more three-pointers.
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 16.1 points per game, and in the last five games without Amanda Johnson has improved that mark to 17.0 ppg. Also in the last five games, Holliday has led Oregon in scoring three times, and in rebounding four times.
She leads the team with 13 double-figure scoring games, and the Chino Hills, Calif., native is also shooting a team-leading 51.2 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 six 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.
Jackson returned to the floor in Oregon's win against Washington last Saturday, playing a season-high 30 minutes and scoring a season-best 19 points while shooting 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Currently Jackson is averaging 10.4 points and a team-leading 4.2 assists per game. Jackson's 171 career steals rank fifth all-time, and her 309 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.
D WEAVE FOR THREE
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.
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. Last Saturday with 16 seconds left on the clock, her three-pointer gave the Ducks their first lead of the second half and cemented UO's 88-86 win over Washington. Weaver is averaging 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but in the last five games is averaging 11.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg.
SHOOTING TOUCH
In the absence of Nia Jackson last season, Ariel 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. Currently averaging 9.0 points per game, Thomas scored a season-high 21 points and drained a career-best five three-pointers in last Saturday's 88-86 win over Washington. It was the third 20-point performance of her career.
MAJOR MINUTES
Sophomore Danielle Love is the one player head coach Paul Westhead can't take out of the game as she is playing a team-best 32.0 minutes per game.
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. Love blocked Washington's final shot attempt last Saturday in UO's 88-86 win.
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 7.1 points per game, and leads the Ducks with 24 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 Dec. 29 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 4.1 points per game, and is also second on the team with 35 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, receiving Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors.
Brenner earned her first start in last Saturday's come-from-behind victory over Washington, limiting the Huskies leading scorer Regina Rogers to eight points.
Brenner is averaging 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in four appearances.
