Oregon Weekly WBB Release - Week 5 - University of Oregon Athletics

THIS WEEK
    Oregon returns to the floor on Tuesday after a 10-day break from game action during finals week. The Ducks host 2010 NCAA Tournament participant and 2010 Big West Tournament champion UC Riverside at 7 p.m., Tuesday at Mac Court. It will mark the first ever meeting between the two programs. The Ducks will then play their final non-conference game ever at McArthur Court, hosting Denver at 7 p.m., Friday. The Pioneers will also be a first-time opponent for the UO.

UC Riverside at Oregon
• TV: None
• Radio: OSN - THE SCORE 95.3 FM; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live Audio: O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com, Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live Video: O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com
• Live stats: www.GoDucks.com
• Live Blog: www.GoDucks.com

Denver at Oregon
• TV: None
• Radio: OSN - THE SCORE 95.3 FM; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live Audio: O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com, Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live Video: O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com
• Live stats: www.GoDucks.com
• Live Blog: www.GoDucks.com

PROMOTIONS
    Tuesday will be BI-Mart $2 day at Mac Court when the Ducks take on the Highlanders at 7 p.m. Fans can visit their local BI-Mart and pick up a $2 voucher good for $2 general admission.
    Oregon will play its final non-conference game ever at McArthur Court on Friday, Dec. 17, hosting Denver in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. It will be Scout and Military Night at Mac Court when the Ducks host the Pioneers. Scouts can wear their uniform to Mac Court to receive general admission for only $2. Military members can show their ID cards and receive general admission for only $3.
    Fans are also asked to bring books, games and DVDs to the game to be donated to www.BooksForSoldiers.com. All donations are sent to troops located overseas.

TICKETS
    Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE, calling 1-800-WEB-FOOT, or in person at the Casanova Center ticket office. Tickets can also be purchased at the McArthur Court ticket window 90 minutes prior to game time. The doors to Mac Court open 60 minutes prior to tip.

SAYING GOODBYE TO McARTHUR COURT
    Oregon will play its final game at McArthur Court hosting the University of Washington on Jan. 8, 2011. It will be the final UO basketball game in Mac Court, as the Oregon men will play Arizona State in their final game on Jan. 1.
    The Ducks will host “Throwback Night” at Mac Court on Jan. 8, and fans will be able to pick up a $5 off coupon at any BI-Mart, Carl's Jr., or Oregon Community Credit Union Eugene/Springfield location to receive $5 off a reserved ticket.

HELLO MATTHEW KNIGHT ARENA
    The Ducks will make their first appearance at Matthew Knight Arena hosting Oregon State in Civil War action on Jan. 23, 2011. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net as UO attempts to Pack The Pit. General admission tickets are currently available online for $2, and will be available on the day of the game at the ticket box office. Fans will also be able to show their BI-Mart card while purchasing a reserved ticket to the Oregon State game on Jan. 23, and will receive a free general admission ticket to the game against California at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 29.
    The school's sparkling new 12,500 seat venue is scheduled to make its grand opening on Thursday, Jan. 13, when the Oregon men's basketball team faces USC, with tipoff for that contest scheduled for 8 p.m.

BOISE STATE RECAP
    Oregon outlasted Boise State thanks to help from its bench in an 80-64 victory over the Broncos at Taco Bell Arena last Friday night.
    Oregon improved to 6-1 on the season, while Boise State fell to 5-3.
    The Ducks' bench outscored the Broncos 29-9, and helped UO erase an early second-half deficit.
    “The answer to this game that we didn't have a year ago was people coming off the bench,” head coach Paul Westhead said.
    Junior forward Amanda Johnson led Oregon with her fourth double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 15 points and adding 12 rebounds.
    As the Broncos began to foul with 1:24 remaining in the game and UO leading 73-63, Johnson was sent to the line four times, making 7-of-8 opportunities.
    Junior Jasmin Holliday fell just one rebound short of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards, while Nia Jackson, who fouled out with 1:27 to go, scored 10 points and added a game-high four assists.
    Junior guard Kristi Fallin came off the bench to chip in 12 points, five rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes of action.

UC RIVERSIDE PREVIEW
    UC Riverside enters the week with a 4-2 record, but will travel to Washington on Sunday before heading down to Eugene for 7 p.m. tip against the Ducks on Tuesday.
    The Highlanders have posted wins over Montana, Seattle, Morgan State and Montana State while suffering losses to Arizona State and DePaul.
    UCR averages 56.5 points per game and is led in scoring by senior wing Brittany Waddell, who is averaging 10.3 points per game off the bench.

DENVER PREVIEW
    Denver (5-4) is currently on a two-game winning streak, upsetting then 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt, 70-65, last Saturday before defeating Air Force, 73-62, on Wednesday.
    All four of the Pioneers' losses this season have come on the road; at Wyoming, Colorado State, Georgia (Los Angeles) and Montana.
    Denver will host San Jose State (Saturday) and Northern Colorado (Tuesday) before traveling to Eugene for Friday's match up.
    Junior forward Kaetlyn Murdoch leads Denver averaging 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while the Pioneers are scoring 65.0 points per contest and shooting 44.4 percent from the floor.

INJURY UPDATE
    Fourth-year senior Ellyce Ironmonger is currently rehabbing from offseason surgery on her right ankle. She returned to the court for partial practices last week, and is near full-practice participation this week. Ironmonger's return to the court and availability for games is a day-to-day evaluation.

MILESTONES
    Amanda Johnson is just six points shy of reaching 800 career points. The junior is currently the only player in the Pac-10 averaging a double-double, scoring 17.9 points per game (3rd Pac-10) while grabbing 10.1 rebounds per game (1st Pac-10).
    The Santa Rosa, Calif., native is tied for the Pac-10 lead with four double-doubles, and is one of six players in the conference to record three 20-point games. Johnson is also one of just three players to record four double-figure rebounding contests. Johnson also ranks second in the league with 3.3 steals per game and fifth averaging 1.4 blocks per game.
    The third-year starter has also knocked down 86 3-point field goals, falling just four short of cracking the Oregon all-time top-10, while her 16 double-doubles rank eighth all-time.

COMPARING THE PAC-10 & THE NATION
    Currently only two squads in the Pac-10 remain undefeated, third-ranked Stanford (5-0), and 10th-ranked UCLA (7-0). The Ducks currently lead the conference and rank fourth in the nation averaging 89.0 points per game. UO also leads the Pac-10 in blocked shots (5.1 bpg), assists (18.9 apg, 14th nationally), steals (15.6 spg, 2nd nationally) and turnover margin (+9.6, 4th nationally).
    Individually, junior forward Amanda Johnson is third in the conference in scoring (17.9 ppg) and first in rebounding (10.1 rpg, 31st nationally).
    Junior point guard Nia Jackson's 16.0 points per game tie for fifth in the Pac-10 while her 5.6 assists rank second in the league and 22nd nationally.

FULL-COURT PRESSURE
    Oregon is off to a 6-1 start for the second consecutive season. The Ducks are using their full-court pressure defense and up-tempo offense to disrupt opponents. Currently Oregon is forcing opponents into 27.6 turnovers per game, while the Ducks are averaging a Pac-10 leading 18.9 assists per game, ranking 14th in the country.

THE STARTING FIVE
    Head coach Paul Westhead's starting five has a new look for the 2010-11 season. The Ducks returned three starters from last year's squad, including Nia Jackson, Amanda Johnson and Victoria Kenyon, but lost guards Taylor Lilley and Micaela Cocks to graduation.
    Oregon's first player off the bench last season, junior wing Jasmin Holliday, now has a starting spot, and is averaging 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. At shooting guard, junior college transfer Ashley Buis has knocked down 14 three-pointers, and is averaging 11.0 points per game, having reached double figures in five contests.

DOUBLE THE FUN
    Only two players have reached double figures in all seven game for Oregon this season - juniors Amanda Johnson and Nia Jackson. Johnson has led the team in scoring on five occasions, while Jackson has topped the scoreboard once, but has led the Ducks in assists five times.
    Johnson has recorded four double-doubles in her first seven games, bringing her career total to 16, while Jackson recently eclipsed the 500-point mark for her career.
    Both have also produced 20-point games this season as Johnson posts three and Jackson has two.

THE ROOKIES
    Oregon head coach Paul Westhead has been adamant about using a deep bench in non-conference play this season. All five newcomers, including four freshmen, have seen action on the floor.
    Deanna Weaver, who can play either forward position, is currently averaging 10.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game off the bench. Guard Ariel Thomas is averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 13.3 minutes per game.

CALLING IN THE RESERVES
    Oregon has scored 623 points this season, with 211 of those points coming from the reserves. In seven games, Oregon's bench has outscored the opponent's bench 211-181. The Ducks' reserves have been outscored only twice this season and UO has an 1-1 record. Oregon is an undefeated 5-0 when its bench out scores the opponent.
    Freshman Deanna Weaver leads the reserves averaging 10.0 points per game, but in the last two games shooting guard Kristi Fallin is averaging 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 60.9 percent from the floor.

ON AND OFF THE COURT
    Junior Amanda Johnson returns as one of Oregon's most experienced student-athletes, leading the returners in several career categories; points (794), scoring average (11.2 ppg), field goals made (312), 3-point field goals made (86), rebounds (524; 7.4 rpg) and steals (123).
    Off the court last season, Johnson flourished in the classroom, becoming the first Oregon women's basketball player since 1990 to be named to the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® University Division second team. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native, was also named to the Pac-10 All-Academic First Team, and was awarded the Doyle Higdon Memorial Trophy, given annually to a University of Oregon sophomore for excellence in athletics, scholarship and citizenship.
    During the summer, Johnson was awarded her undergraduate degree Summa Cum Laude, graduating in the top two percent of her class with a double major in psychology and sociology. She is now pursuing her master's in couples and family therapy.
    On the court last year, Johnson was named Pac-10 Honorable Mention after averaging 12.7 points per game with a team-leading (3rd Pac-10) 8.5 rebounds per game. Her 290 total rebounds tied for ninth in Oregon's single-season record book, and she also finished the season with 11 double-doubles, 24 double-figure scoring games and five 20-point efforts.