Oregon WBB Weekly Release: Games 2-3
11/17/11 | Women's Basketball
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GAME DAY PROMOTIONS
THINK GREEN FRIDAY
The Oregon women's basketball team is set to GO GREEN on Friday as the Ducks host Illinois at Matthew Knight Arena.
With tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. against the Fighting Illini, Oregon fans that donate functional or non-functional electronics for recycling will receive a general admission ticket for $3 – a savings of $4. Goodwill will be on hand to accept all donations.
Oregon Athletics is partnering with the UO Office of Sustainability, and at halftime, the Ducks will also recognize the winners of the “Residence Hall-Energy Reduction Competition.”
In support of the cause, the Oregon women's basketball team will also GO GREEN by wearing green uniforms at Friday's game.
IN TOWN FOR THE USC FOOTBALL GAME?
In addition, Duck fans in town for Saturday's football game against USC can spend Friday evening at Matthew Knight Arena. Fans that arrive at the arena on Friday night with their USC football ticket will receive a free general admission ticket for the women's basketball game against Illinois.
$3 DAY - SUNDAY, NOV. 20
Fans will be able to purchase $3 general admission tickets for Sunday evening's game against instate opponent and defending regular season Big Sky co-champion Portland State.
THIS WEEK
Oregon continues its six-game season-opening homestand hosting Illinois and Portland State this weekend.
ILLINOIS
The Ducks take on the Fighting Illini at 7 p.m. on Friday at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon and Illinois have met just once before, with the Ducks taking a 72-55 victory on Nov. 25, 1994 in Eugene.
Oregon last played an opponent from Big Ten on Nov. 28, 2009, falling to Wisconsin at McArthur Court.
Illinois is currently 2-1 on the season with wins over Cleveland State and Memphis, and a loss to South Carolina. After Friday's match up, the Illini will remain on the West Coast to play California on Sunday.
Illinois finished with a record of 9-23 last year, but returns its entire starting five. Currently Karisma Penn is averaging 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Kersten Magrum is averaging 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
PORTLAND STATE
Portland State will bring an undefeated 2-0 record into Matt Arena at 7 p.m. on Sunday as the Vikings started their season with wins over UC Irvine (80-76) and UC Santa Barbara (65-51) in Portland last weekend.
The Vikes enter the 2011-12 season defending a 2011 Big Sky regular season co-championship, and return three starters from last year's title squad.
Currently Eryn Jones (19.5 ppg) and 2011 Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year Courtney VanBrocklin (18.0 ppg) lead Portland State in scoring.
Oregon holds a 22-9 lead in the all-time series against the Vikes with UO currently on a nine-game winning streak. The Ducks also hold a 9-4 advantage in home games.
Head coach Paul Westhead is 5-0 during his tenure against Big Sky competition.
REUNITED
Sophomore Chynna Miley will be reunited with a former teammate when Illinois arrives in Eugene. Illinois senior Eboni Mitchell also played at Southwest DeKalb High School in Atlanta, Ga.
SEASON OPENERS
The Ducks are now 33-6 in season openers after last Sunday's 102-93 victory over Cal Poly. The Ducks have now reached triple digits in four season openers, including the last two years.
CAL POLY RECAP
Oregon held on to defeat Cal Poly, 102-93, behind a 24-point, nine-rebound performance by senior Jasmin Holliday.
Oregon had to convert seven free throws down the stretch in the final minute of the second half to pull away from the Mustangs in both clubs' season opener.
In addition to Holliday's 24, four other Ducks posted double figures. Amanda Johnson recorded the 21st double-double of her career with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Nia Jackson poured in 18 points after shooting a nearly-perfect 10-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Laura Stanulis earned career highs with 13 points and a game-high eight assists, while Jordan Loera chipped in 12 knocking down three 3-pointers.
Cal Poly's Jonae Ervin led all scorers with 33 points shooting 11-of-13 from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 from long distance.
Oregon shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) in the second half and 45.0 percent (36-of-80) for the game, while Cal Poly held a 54-51 edge on the boards.
HEALTH REPORT
Freshman center Janitah Iamaleava suffered a season-ending left knee injury during a pre-season practice that will keep her off the floor for the 2011-12 season.
Sophomore guard Ariel Thomas is currently day-to-day with Achilles trouble, and sophomore forward Deanna Weaver is also day-to-day with a foot injury.
SCORING OFFENSE
During head coach Paul Westhead's three years at Oregon, the Ducks have finished in the country's top-15 in scoring in back-to-back seasons, averaging 81.4 points (2010, 2nd) and 73.3 points per game (2011, 15th). In fact, during the last two seasons, the Ducks have averaged 79.0 points per game overall, out done only by Oral Roberts (84.7 ppg) and Gonzaga (82.7 ppg). In the last three years, Oregon has produced seven 100-point games, recording a 6-1 mark in those games.
BEYOND THE ARC
The Ducks have proven to be a deadly 3-point shooting team, finishing third in the country averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game in 2011, while ranking seventh in 2010 knocking down 8.4 long-distance buckets per game.
SCHEDULE
The Ducks have compiled a difficult schedule as 14 of their opponents reached the postseason a year ago. Nine teams played in the 2011 Women's National Invitation Tournament, and five appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior Amanda Johnson currently ranks in the top 10 of four all-time statistical categories at Oregon. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native's 713 career rebounds rank ninth all-time at UO, while her 165 career steals tie for seventh all-time. In addition, Johnson's 125 three-pointers rank eighth all-time, and her 21 double-doubles rank seventh. Johnson's 1,165 career points rank 17th all-time at Oregon.
In addition, Johnson's career point total ranks fourth amongst current players in the Pac-12, while her rebound total ranks second.
AWARD WINNER
Before two knee injuries sidelined her for the final nine games of last season, senior guard Nia Jackson led the Pac-10 averaging 17.0 points and 5.7 assists per game. Despite missing the final half of conference play, Jackson was named to the 2011 Pac-10 First Team and the 2011 Media All-Pac-10 Team.
The Ducks were 12-9 with Jackson in the lineup, and 1-8 in the final nine games of the year without her. The Ducks averaged 80.5 points per game with Jackson in the lineup, and 66.7 points per game without her.
The Seattle native has returned from off-season surgery and is cleared to play, but is continuing to regain her strength and stamina. In her first official action since Feb. 3, 2011 at Washington, Jackson scored 18 points and shot a nearly-flawless 10-of-11 from the free-throw line in 23 minutes on the floor.
ROOKIES NO MORE
As a freshman last season, Ariel Thomas averaged 8.0 points and 2.2 assists per game, appearing in 26 games for the Ducks. In the absence of Nia Jackson, Thomas took over point guard duties and started the final nine games of the year, averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game during that stretch.
The Sacramento, Calif., native finished 2011 with eight double-figure scoring games, including six in her last nine starts, and two 20-point efforts.
Currently dealing with an Achilles injury, Thomas was not available for last Sunday's game against Cal Poly.
Sophomore forward Danielle Love, who plays the trailing post in head coach Paul Westhead's up-tempo system, has returned to her starting position. In Oregon's first game, Love played 34 minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds.
Hampered by a foot injury, Deanna Weaver is day-to-day and is not expected to play this weekend. Weaver averaged 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for Oregon during her rookie season, and was named Pac-10 All-Freshman Honorable Mention.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Oregon's freshman class was ranked 49th in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz.
Freshman guard Jordan Loera is a second generation Duck as her mother, Lori Carver Loera, played basketball at UO from 1983-84.
Loera did well in her debut, playing a team-high 36 minutes and making the start at shooting guard. The Moses Lake, Wash., native scored 12 points and knocked down three three-pointers.
Freshman center Megan Carpenter (Longmont, Colo./Longmont HS) was a two-time all-4A Northern Conference selection and two-time Longmont Times Call all-area selection in 2010 and 2011. In her Oregon debut, Carpenter scored two points, blocked two shots and grabbed seven rebounds.
Freshman guard Amanda Delgado (Las Vegas/Liberty HS) was named the 2011 Gatorade Nevada Girls Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 16.1 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior. In last Sunday's opener, Delgado played three minutes off the bench.
Freshman forward Lexi Petersen (Tukwila, Wash./Seattle Christian HS) won four straight conference titles at Seattle Christian HS, and was a two-time Nisqually 1A Player of the Year (2009, 2010). In her debut last Sunday, Petersen played 12 minutes off the bench and scored six points.
Freshman center Janitah Iamaleava (Long Beach, Calif./Carson HS) will miss the 2011-12 campaign after suffering a season-ending knee injury.
LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Senior Amanda Johnson was chosen as one of 60 candidates that excel both on and off the court for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
The women's 30-candidate class includes Johnson – the only CoSIDA Academic All-American on the list – two Associated Press All-Americans, and 12 players whose teams are ranked in the Associated Press preseason top 25.
Johnson is also one of three student-athletes from the Pac-12 on the women's list as USC's Briana Gilbreath and Stanford's Nnemkadi Ogwumike were also named candidates.
Lowe's will announce the women's award winner during the NCAA Women's Final Four®, which will be held April 1 and 3 in Denver.
The candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in both men's and women's basketball midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, Division I men's and women's coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
