Photo by: Eric Evans Photography/ University of Oregon
Homestretch Begins Friday Vs. USC
02/15/18 | Women's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
The UO women remain in contention for the Pac-12 title, and host a top-10 matchup with UCLA on Monday, but USC can play spoiler to all of that Friday in Matthew Knight Arena (6 p.m., Pac-12).
Two weeks remain in the Oregon women's basketball team's bid for a piece of its first conference title since 1999-2000.
Of the Ducks' four games across those two weeks, none looms larger than one Monday against UCLA. The No. 9 UO women will host the No. 7 Bruins in Matthew Knight Arena, on senior day, in a 7 p.m. game being televised by ESPN.
With the Ducks tied atop the Pac-12 standings with both UCLA and Stanford at 12-2, the margin for error is somewhere between slim and none. Which means that, for all that could be on the line Monday, Oregon better not get caught peeking ahead — not with a game against Southern California on Friday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
"They're the kind of team that poses problems for us," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "They're very athletic, they're quick, they're aggressive, they're tough. They force you into some turnovers, and when they get those turnovers it's off to the races, because they're so athletic."
The Ducks (23-4) found that out first-hand last month. In Los Angeles on Jan. 5, Oregon committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter and 20 in the game against the Women of Troy. The Ducks led much of the way, but had to stave off a USC comeback bid that resulted in a tie game with less than two minutes to play, before Oregon won 70-66.
"I don't think we're going to overlook USC," UO sophomore Ruthy Hebard said. "They played us really hard in California. I think we're going to come in focused for that game."
Hebard has a tough act to follow herself, after a remarkable weekend in Washington last week. The UO post made 25-of-27 field-goal attempts in wins over UW and WSU, scoring a career-high 30 against the Huskies and then getting 29 at WSU to surpass 1,000 points for her career.
Last time out against USC, Hebard had a relatively quiet night with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. USC post Kristen Simon had 18 points and eight rebounds that day, and she leads the Women of Troy on the season with 17.5 points per game. Then, come Monday, Hebard will have to tangle with UCLA's Monique Billings.
"It'll be a little tougher this weekend, because both teams have pretty good and athletic front lines," Graves said. "But at the same time, if Ruthy's engaged, she's quite a weapon."
Hebard could find a little more room to operate this weekend, thanks to the return of senior guard Lexi Bando. At WSU on Sunday, Bando returned from a seven-game absence due to injury and made half of her six three-point attempts.
"Tell me she doesn't make a difference," Graves said. "She goes 3-for-3 in that second quarter. It just changes the whole dynamic of our team."
Bando's minutes will remain limited for the time being, as she returns from the lower leg injury that had sidelined her. But her three-point shooting ability will add another threat for opposing teams to deal with, spreading the floor and reducing opportunities for a help defender to crash down on Hebard in the post.
Following Friday's game with USC, Bando and Justine Hall will play their final regular-season game at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday, when the Bruins come to town. But that game's implications will take a significant hit if Oregon doesn't take care of business against the Women of Troy.
"Two weeks left, it's right there for us to go take," Graves said. "So this is a big weekend."
Of the Ducks' four games across those two weeks, none looms larger than one Monday against UCLA. The No. 9 UO women will host the No. 7 Bruins in Matthew Knight Arena, on senior day, in a 7 p.m. game being televised by ESPN.
With the Ducks tied atop the Pac-12 standings with both UCLA and Stanford at 12-2, the margin for error is somewhere between slim and none. Which means that, for all that could be on the line Monday, Oregon better not get caught peeking ahead — not with a game against Southern California on Friday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
"They're the kind of team that poses problems for us," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "They're very athletic, they're quick, they're aggressive, they're tough. They force you into some turnovers, and when they get those turnovers it's off to the races, because they're so athletic."
The Ducks (23-4) found that out first-hand last month. In Los Angeles on Jan. 5, Oregon committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter and 20 in the game against the Women of Troy. The Ducks led much of the way, but had to stave off a USC comeback bid that resulted in a tie game with less than two minutes to play, before Oregon won 70-66.
"I don't think we're going to overlook USC," UO sophomore Ruthy Hebard said. "They played us really hard in California. I think we're going to come in focused for that game."
Hebard has a tough act to follow herself, after a remarkable weekend in Washington last week. The UO post made 25-of-27 field-goal attempts in wins over UW and WSU, scoring a career-high 30 against the Huskies and then getting 29 at WSU to surpass 1,000 points for her career.
Last time out against USC, Hebard had a relatively quiet night with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. USC post Kristen Simon had 18 points and eight rebounds that day, and she leads the Women of Troy on the season with 17.5 points per game. Then, come Monday, Hebard will have to tangle with UCLA's Monique Billings.
"It'll be a little tougher this weekend, because both teams have pretty good and athletic front lines," Graves said. "But at the same time, if Ruthy's engaged, she's quite a weapon."
Hebard could find a little more room to operate this weekend, thanks to the return of senior guard Lexi Bando. At WSU on Sunday, Bando returned from a seven-game absence due to injury and made half of her six three-point attempts.
"Tell me she doesn't make a difference," Graves said. "She goes 3-for-3 in that second quarter. It just changes the whole dynamic of our team."
Bando's minutes will remain limited for the time being, as she returns from the lower leg injury that had sidelined her. But her three-point shooting ability will add another threat for opposing teams to deal with, spreading the floor and reducing opportunities for a help defender to crash down on Hebard in the post.
Following Friday's game with USC, Bando and Justine Hall will play their final regular-season game at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday, when the Bruins come to town. But that game's implications will take a significant hit if Oregon doesn't take care of business against the Women of Troy.
"Two weeks left, it's right there for us to go take," Graves said. "So this is a big weekend."
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