Pair of Big Sky Foes Visit MKA

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team returns home following a three-game road swing, welcoming a pair of Big Sky opponents to Matthew Knight Arena in Idaho on Friday (6 p.m. PT) and Portland State on Saturday (2 p.m.).

Saturday's contest with the Vikings is a doubleheader with the men's team taking on UTEP at 6 p.m., and will mark the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are encouraged to bring a new stuffed animal to either game to throw onto the court at halftime to donate to Toys For Tots.

GAME #8
Oregon (4-3) vs. Idaho (4-3)
Friday, Dec. 8 | 6 p.m. PT | Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, Ore.)
TV/Online: UO Live Stream
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (Eugene: KUGN 98.1 | Portland: KPAM 860 AM) | SiriusXM 373
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

GAME #9
Oregon (4-3) vs. Portland State (4-2)
Saturday, Dec. 9 | 2 p.m. PT | Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, Ore.)
TV/Online: UO Live Stream
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (Eugene: KUGN 98.1 | Portland: KPAM 860 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

AT A GLANCE
The Oregon women's basketball team returns to Matthew Knight Arena this weekend for the first time in 20 days following a three-game road swing. UO seeks to snap a two-game skid after dropping contests at Portland and Baylor.

The Ducks begin a stretch of four straight home games Friday, as they take on Idaho at 6 p.m. before quickly turning around to face Portland State on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Oregon holds a 6-2 lead in its series history with Idaho while leading the all-time series with PSU 28-10.

Oregon is led by sophomores Grace VanSlooten (16.0 PPG) and Chance Gray (12.6 PPG) while Phillipina Kyei (11.3 PPG) and Sofia Bell (10.1 PPG) round out four Ducks averaging double figures.

LAST TIME OUT
Facing its first ranked team of the season, Oregon suffered a 71-51 setback at No. 13 Baylor on Sunday. It marked UO's second straight loss, both coming on the road.

Phillipina Kyei led the Ducks with 15 points, her second career game leading Oregon in scoring, while adding a dozen rebounds for her team-high fifth double-double of the season. Grace VanSlooten (14) and Chance Gray (10) also finished in double figures.

The Ducks were forced into 20 turnovers, matching a season high, leading to 23 Bear points. Baylor also held a 42-22 edge in points in the paint and held a 44-28 rebounding advantage.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Idaho enters Friday with a 4-3 record, going 3-0 in all games away from home, including a 70-43 win a Utah State in its last road contest.

Amalie Langer leads the Vandals at 10.3 points an outing while Kennedy Johnson is next with 9.1 points per game to go with a team-high 6.7 rebounds a game. As a team, Idaho averages 64.7 points while limiting opponents to just 54.9 points per game. Idaho leads the Big Sky with 26.6 defensive rebounds per game.

Portland State (4-2) is coming off back-to-back wins, earning victories over Seattle U (75-68) and Fresno State (72-61). The Vikings feature three players who average double-digit points, paced by Esmeralda Morales' 21.3 a game, which leads the Big Sky and ranks 15th nationally. Morales's 21 3-pointers and 3.5 made 3-pointers per game both lead the Big Sky.

Rhema Ogele, the reigning Big Sky Player of the Week, averages 14.0 points a game with a team-best 6.3 rebounds and Alaya Fitzgerald turns in 10.0 points per game. PSU averages 62.2 points per game while allowing 63.5 points.

Portland State was picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll while Idaho came in at eighth. Morales was tabbed as the Big Sky's preseason MVP.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Oregon leads the all-time series with Idaho, 6-2, dating back to 1977. UO has won the last five meetings in the series, including the last three in Eugene. The Ducks and Vandals last met on Dec. 20, 2016, with Oregon earning a 73-70 victory. UI's last win in the series came in 1985 (73-55).

UO and Portland State will meet for the 39th time on Saturday, with the Ducks winning 28 of the previous 38 matchups. The in-state rivals last played on March 22, 2019 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with the Ducks coming away with a 78-40 victory. Oregon has won the last five meetings in the series and 15 of the last 16 meetings, going back to 1985. UO is 14-5 at home against PSU, winning the last four in Eugene.

UI and PSU will mark the second and third teams from the Big Sky the Ducks will face this season. Oregon defeated preseason Big Sky favorite Northern Arizona in the season opener, 81-48.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMPS
Oregon has been fueled by the Ducks' top two returners in sophomores Chance Gray and Grace VanSlooten. The duo has combined to average 28.6 points per game, or about 42.7 percent of the team's total offense. Both Gray and VanSlooten have scored in double figures in six of seven outings. VanSlooten scored 19 in each of UO's first two games and dropped a season-high 21 at Grand Canyon on Nov. 16, while also averaging 9.4 rebounds an outing (second on team). Gray opened the season with 17 points against Northern Arizona before leading the Ducks with 20 against UAPB, the third time in her career eclipsing the 20-point mark.

» Gray and VanSlooten account for 46.7 percent of Oregon's field goal attempts (194 of 415).
» Gray equaled her career high with six 3-pointers against the Golden Lions, going 5-for-6 in the first half.
» Gray has played at least 30 minutes in all seven games this season and averages a league-high 35.7 minutes a night.
» Gray flirted with a triple-double at Nevada on Nov. 21, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds while also tying her career high with seven assists and scoring nine points in a 76-47 win.
» Gray has tallied multiple assists six times this season and leads the team at 4.0 per game (ninth in Pac-12).
» VanSlooten produced her first 20-point outing of the season at Grand Canyon, and the sixth of her career, scoring 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
» VanSlooten hauled in a career-high 16 rebounds in two straight games (at Nevada, at Portland), upping her season double-double total to three and five in her career.
» The Ducks are 5-1 when VanSlooten scores at least 20 points (1-0 this season) and 2-1 when she finishes with a double-double this season.

PHEEL IT, PHILLI
Junior center Phillipina Kyei, the tallest player in Oregon history, has turned in a double-double in five of Oregon's first seven games this season. Kyei produced three straight double-doubles to open the season, the longest streak of her career. She upped her career total to 13 double-doubles with 15 points and 12 rebounds at Baylor, moving her into a tie for 16th in program history. She is just the 23rd player in UO history with at least 10 career double-doubles.

» Kyei has 13 double-doubles in just 69 career games, the fewest number of any Duck with at least 13 double-doubles.
» Kyei is one of four players in the Pac-12 averaging at least 10 points and 10 rebounds, while her five double-doubles this season are tied for sixth in the conference.
» Oregon is 11-2 when Kyei records a double-double and 13-3 when she scores at least 10 points.
» 29 career games with 10 or more rebounds, with 24 coming since the start of last season.
» Scored a career-high 16 points twice this season, coming against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and at Nevada.
» Kyei led Oregon in scoring for the second time in her career with 15 points at Baylor.
» Double-digit rebounds in seven of her last 10 games, dating back to last season.
» Surpassed the 500-rebound mark at GCU and her 534 career rebounds ranks seventh among active players in the Pac-12.
» Since the start of last season, Kyei is averaging 10.6 rebounds and 7.7 points per game.
» Kyei is sixth among active Pac-12 players with 74 career blocks, recording a block in eight of the last 11 games, dating back to last season.

RING THE BELL
Just seven games into her collegiate career, freshman guard Sofia Bell has been one of the Ducks' most consistent players this season. Bell has started all seven games and is the only freshman to crack Oregon's starting five. The Portland product leads UO with 15 made 3-pointers at a 34.9 percent clip, helping her to 10.1 points per game. Bell is also the team leader with 12 steals and one of three Pac-12 freshman averaging at least 1.5 steals a game.

Bell plays 35.4 minutes a game, the most among conference freshman, nearly four minutes more per game than the next closest in USC's JuJu Watkins (31.8). Bell owns the top offensive rating on the team at 110.3 (points per 100 individual possessions), which is No. 2 among Pac-12 freshman who play at least 25 minutes a game, and 18th in the country.

» Bell and sophomore guard Chance Gray are responsible for 27 of the Ducks' 34 made 3-pointers this season (79.4 percent).
» One of two Pac-12 freshmen averaging at least 10.0 points and 1.5 steals per game while playing at least 30 minutes, and one of just eight nationally.
» Bell has played at least 30 minutes in every game this season and has played all but one minute in the Ducks' last two games (39 at Portland, 40 at Baylor).

KEYS TO VICTORY
This season, Oregon is 4-0 when scoring over 60 points while also going 4-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer. The Ducks are also unbeaten (4-0) when scoring more points in the paint than its opponent while going 0-3 when being outscored. The same came can be said for UO recording more rebounds, assists and finishing with a better field goal percentage than its opponents.

» In its four victories, Oregon is averaging 76.8 points a game while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor.
» Over its three losses, the Ducks score 53.7 points per game at a 36.3 percent clip.
» UO makes 5.8 3-pointers per game while shooting 32.9 percent from the 3-point line in wins, while hitting on 23.9 percent of 3-point attempts in losses (3.7 made 3-point field goals per game).