First Big Ten Road Trip on Tap for Ducks

EUGENE, Ore. — With nonconference play in its rearview mirror, the Oregon women's basketball team makes its first Big Ten road trip on Saturday, paying a visit to Illinois for a 12 p.m. PT tip at State Farm Center.

Both teams are seeking their first conference victories after falling to ranked opponents in their league opener. The Ducks fell to then-No. 6 USC 66-53 on Dec. 7, while the Fighting Illini dropped an 83-74 decision at then-12th-ranked Ohio State on Dec. 8.

The teams will meet for the third time ever, and the first since 2012. UO owns a 2-1 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1994. The Ducks are 2-0 at home and 0-1 in Champaign, dropping the only road test in the series, 80-62, on Dec. 12, 2012.

GAME #13
Oregon (9-3, 0-1) at RV Illinois (10-2, 0-1)
Saturday, Dec. 28 | 12 p.m. PT | State Farm Center (Champaign, Ill.)
TV/Stream: B1G+
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM/590 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
Oregon finished its nonconference slate with a pair of dominant home victories before breaking for the holidays. The Ducks defeated UC Irvine 71-43 on Dec. 19 to cap an undefeated home nonconference schedule (8-0).

Graduate guard Peyton Scott became the eighth active player in Division I to reach 2,000 career points against the Anteaters. Scott entered the game needing just four points to reach the milestone, scoring her 2,000th point on a free throw in the second quarter.

The Ducks' bench scored 48 points in the win, marking the second straight game in which the reserves outscored the starting five. Nine players scored at least six points, led by 11 points off the bench from freshman Katie Fiso. Alexis Whitfield also added 10 points off the bench.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Illinois (10-2, 0-1) enters Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak, all at home, having defeated Southern 69-57 in its last matchup on Dec. 20. The Fighting Illini are 8-0 at home with their only losses coming against then-14th ranked Kentucky and then-No. 12 Ohio State.

The Illinois roster features six players who average double-figure points, led by 16.5 points per game from Kendall Bostic. Bostic averages a double-double behind a team-best 11.3 rebounds per game (second in the Big Ten). Bostic leads the Big Ten and is sixth in the nation with eight double-doubles. Adalia McKenzie is second on the team at 13.3 points a night with Genesis Bryant third at 12.0 points per game.

The Fighting Illini lead the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 77.6 percent and rank third in 3-point defense, allowing teams to shoot just 25.2 percent from downtown.

Illinois, who is receiving votes in the latest Associated Press poll, has spent four weeks in the top 25 this season, topping out at No. 19.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Oregon and Illinois will meet for just the fourth time ever, and the first as members of the Big Ten Conference on Saturday. The Ducks lead the all-time series 2-1, dating back to 1994, winning both games in Eugene. UO is 0-1 on the road against the Fighting Illini, falling 80-62 in Champaign in their last meeting on Dec. 12, 2012.

DUCK DEPTH
Oregon's depth, helped by seven transfers among nine newcomers, has keyed the Ducks' 9-3 start this season. Six different players have led (or tied) UO in scoring through 12 games, including three off the bench in Nani Falatea, Katie Fiso and Elisa Mevius. The Oregon bench is averaging 31.0 points per game and has doubled its opponents' bench output on the season (372-186). Last year, UO averaged just 9.6 points a night from its bench and opponents outscored the Ducks' bench by 288 points.

» UO's bench has outscored its opponents in 11 of 12 games this season, and seven times by double digits.
» The Ducks dropped a season-high 51 bench points on Air Force on Dec.17, the most points scored by the bench since scoring 58 against Seattle U on Nov. 28, 2020.
» Ten players finished with at least eight points against the Falcons, with four scoring in double figures, while six handed out multiple assists and seven recorded multiple steals.
» The Ducks followed that up by scoring 48 bench points in their win over UC Irvine, combining for 99 points in a two-game stretch - their most in any two-game span on record.
» The UO bench outscored its starting five in two straight games, with the reserves scoring 99 points compared to the starters' 70 points.
» Nine players are averaging at least 5.0 points per game, including three bench players, with Mevius leading the bench scoring at 7.5 points per game.
» The Oregon bench has scored at least 20 points 10 times, and four times eclipsed the 40-point plateau. Last year, UO's single-game bench high was 26 points while surpassing 20 points just twice.
» The Ducks have been led in rebounding by five different players, four of which are newcomers, this season. Deja Kelly, Phillipina Kyei and Amina Muhammad are the only players to lead the team in rebounding in multiple games.
» Head coach Kelly Graves has utilized six different starting lineups this season, with three Ducks making their first starts of the year against South Dakota State: Ehis Etute, Nani Falatea and Sarah Rambus.

DUCK DEFENSE
Oregon has made life difficult for its opponents on the offensive end this season. The Ducks defense has registered double-digit steals in five straight games, and in six of its last seven games, including a season-high 17 coming against Air Force on Dec. 17. Additionally, UO is allowing opponents to shoot just 28.5 percent from beyond the arc, and has allowed just four teams to shoot over 30.0 percent (Auburn, South Dakota State, Washington State, USC). UO allowed North Texas and Grand Canyon to shoot a combined 7-of-30 over a two-game stretch (Nov. 12-18).

» With 10 or more steals in six of their last seven games, the Ducks now have eight games this season with double-digit steals after turning in only two such games last season and seven times in 2022-23.
» The Ducks have recorded 10-plus steals in five straight games, their longest streak since putting together seven straight games with 10 or more steals in 2013-14.
» On the season, Oregon is averaging 10.4 steals a game this season (fifth in the Big Ten). It would mark the most on a per-game basis since averaging 10.7 in 2010-11.
» The Ducks have forced opponents into 20 or more turnovers five times this season, including in each of their last two games. The five such games are already the most since registering seven such games in 2019-20.
» UO had just one game forcing 20 or more turnovers last season and five such games in 2022-23.
» UO forced USC into 22 turnovers and Air Force into a season-high 29 turnovers on Tuesday, marking the most forced turnovers since also forcing 29 against CSUN on Nov. 19, 2017.
» The Oregon defense is forcing teams into 18.7 turnovers per game, good for sixth in the Big Ten, while owning a plus-4.58 turnover margin, which is also sixth-best in the league.
» Oregon has finished with fewer or the same number of turnovers 10 times this season.
» The Ducks have held an advantage in rebounding in nine of 12 games this season (all wins) and have a plus-48 margin on the season (4.0 per game).
» UO has shot at a higher efficiency from the field 10 times and six times from the 3-point line.