Ducks, Cougs Clash at MKA Friday - University of Oregon Athletics

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon women's basketball closes the opening week of the 2026-27 season by hosting longtime rival Washington State on Friday, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Ducks picked up their 14th straight season-opening victory with a decisive 87-54 win over Hawai'i on Monday, getting a team-high 16 points from forward Mallory Heyer.

Oregon and Washington State will meet for the 96th time on Friday, as the Ducks hold a 73-22 edge in an all-time series that dates back to 1974. UO's 73 wins marks its most against any single opponent. Last season, the Ducks came away with an 86-59 win in Pullman.

Season and single-game tickets are now on sale and available at GoDucks.com/WBBtix.

GAME #2
Oregon (1-0) vs. Washington State (0-1)
Friday, Nov. 6 | 7 p.m. PT | Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, Ore.)
TV/Stream: B1G+ | YouTube (free)
Play-by-play: Matthew Willinger | Analyst: Ronan Belding | Sideline: Brynn Castello
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM/590 AM)
Play-by-play: Saul Galvan
Listen Online | Live Stats | Tickets

A WIN WOULD…
» Mark the 12th consecutive season that Oregon starts 2-0.
» Extend Oregon's home winning streak against nonconference teams to 23 games.
» Give the Ducks their 83rd win in their last 85 nonconference home games.
» Improve head coach Kelly Graves' nonconference record to 148-40 while at Oregon, with an 88-4 home record.
» Give UO a 74-22 lead in the all-time series with Washington State.
» Bring Oregon's home record against WSU to 37-9 and 9-4 inside Matthew Knight Arena.
» Mark the Ducks' third straight win in the series and hand Graves a 13-6 record against WSU during his UO tenure.

SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State is coming of a 9-25 season and began 2026-27 with an 80-58 loss at former Pac-12 foe California in its season opener. Eleanor Villa paced the Cougars with 20 points and seven assists against the Golden Bears, while Malia Ruud added 13 points off the bench. Cal limited WSU to 7-for-24 from behind the 3-point line while holding a 48-34 rebounding advantage.

Villa, along with fellow senior Alex Covill, were selected to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact list ahead of the 2026-27 season, while WSU was picked to finish sixth in the league's preseason poll. Washington State's roster features players from nine different countries, including the United States, which is tied for the second-most countries represented among all Division I programs.

Villa was her team's leading scorer a season ago, averaging 16.5 points a night along with 3.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds. Covill put up 10.8 points a game to rank second on the team while also grabbing 4.5 boards.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Dating all the way back to 1974, Oregon leads the all-time series with Washington State, 73-22. The 73 victories mark the most against a single opponent in UO history. The Ducks have won the last two meetings in the series after an 86-59 victory in Pullman last season. In the game, Katie Fiso dropped a game-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting while handing out eight assists. Ehis Etute hauled in 13 rebounds to go with nine points off the bench and Avary Cain hit a pair of 3-pionters to add 10 points.

The Ducks are 36-9 against WSU all-time at home, going 8-4 at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon has won five of the last six matchups in Eugene. Head coach Kelly Graves owns a 12-6 mark against the Cougars during in UO tenure, going 5-3 at home in the series.

OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
The Ducks got their 2026-27 season start the right way with an emphatic 87-54 win over Hawai'i on Monday at Matthew Knight Arena. UO's offense got off to a fast start, scoring 28 points in the first quarter, with 10 coming from Mallory Heyer. Heyer, who made her Oregon debut after sitting out last season following a mid-season transfer from Minnesota, dropped 16 points in the first half.

Oregon's defense also put the clamps on the Rainbow Wahine, forcing 23 turnovers behind 18 steals. Senior guard Ari Long tallied a career-best six steals in the game, while Ehis Etute also set a career best with four thefts. UO held Hawai'i to 3-of-17 from beyond the arc.

» The Ducks hit on 11-of-32 3-point attempts, which would have tied for the second-highest number of attempts in a game last season. A season ago, Oregon averaged just 19.4 3-point attempts per game.
» The Ducks owned a 50-35 rebounding advantage, producing their first 50-rebound game since Dec. 9, 2023 against Portland.
» Etute brought in 12 offensive rebounds, equaling the most offensive boards in a game by a Duck since Jillian Alleyne recorded 12 against Washington on March 24, 2014.
» Her 12 offensive rebounds equaled the most by a Duck since at least the 1999-000 season and marked the most by any player in the Big Ten since the 2024-25 season.
» Four Ducks scored in double figures: Heyer (16), Etute (15), Katie Fiso (14) and Long (14).
» Six players made their UO debuts in La'u Pele Falatea, Hilary Fuller, Brooklynn Haywood, Heyer, Kennedy Holman and Emilia Krstevski.