Oregon WBB Weekly Release: Global Sports Cage Classic
11/23/11 | Women's Basketball
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS
HAPPY QUAKSQIVING - Thursday, Nov. 24
Spend Thanksgiving with the Ducks at the first day of the Global Sports Cage Classic! Donate two cans of food to Food for Lane County and receive a general admission ticket for only $3.
CARL'S JR. FOOD DRIVE, Friday, Nov. 25
Donate two cans of food to Food for Lane County and receive a general admission ticket for only $3.
BI-MART FAMILY DAY, Sunday, Nov. 27
Two adults and unlimited children receive admission to the final day of the Global Sports Cage Classic for only $20. Fans that keep their ticket from the Oregon State football game can show it at the ticket window and receive a free general admission ticket.
GLOBAL SPORTS CAGE CLASSIC
Oregon is welcoming Weber State, UC Irvine and Nicholls State to Eugene as part of the Global Sports Cage Classic. The tournament begins on Thursday with Nicholls State and UC Irvine tipping off at 1:30 p.m. The Ducks will follow, hosting Weber State at 4 p.m.
WEBER STATE NOTES
• Oregon holds a 5-0 all-time series lead against Weber State, although the programs have not played one another since a 95-70 UO victory Dec. 13, 1993 in Ogden, Utah.
• Oregon head coach
Paul Westhead is 6-0 during his tenure against Big Sky opponents, including most recently a 75-71 victory over Portland State last Sunday.
• Wildcat assistant coach Devan Newman is a 2007 graduate of the University of Oregon.
• The Wildcats enter the tournament with a record of 0-3, registering losses to Boise State, Utah State and BYU. Senior Mikell Woodfield - a senior forward and LaGrande, Ore., native - leads WSU averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Woodfield was an honorable mention all-state player, graduating from LaGrande High School in 2007.
UC IRVINE NOTES
• Oregon leads the all-time series with UC Irvine 3-1, but the Anteaters won the last game between the two, 58-56, in Irvine, Calif., on Nov. 30, 1984.
• The Anteaters have had a rough start to the season with an 0-4 record. The Ducks will be the Anteaters third opponent from the state of Oregon as UCI suffered losses at Portland State (80-76) and at Portland (64-56) to being the year.
• UCI has four losses despite averaging 72.0 points per game and shooting 47.1 percent from the floor. Four players are averaging double figures led by junior Jazmyne White's 13.8 points per game.
• During his tenure, head coach
Paul Westhead is 4-1 all-time against programs from the Big West Conference. The Ducks opened the 2011-12 season with a 102-93 victory over defending Big West regular season co-champion Cal Poly.
NICHOLLS STATE NOTES
• This will be the first ever meeting between Nicholls State and Oregon.
• The Colonels enter the tournament with a 1-2 record, falling to Alabama and Alabama State, but registering a win over Louisiana-Lafayette.
• Senior guard Sumar Leslie leads Nicholls State averaging 13.0 points and 5.0 assists per game.
PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Amanda Johnson was named Bank of the West Pac-12 Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 14-20, Commissioner Larry Scott announced on Monday.
Averaging 30.5 points and 15.0 rebounds per game, Johnson led Oregon (3-0) to wins over Illinois, 77-74, and Portland State, 75-71, last week. The Santa, Rosa, Calif., native recorded two double-doubles, and has now posted four consecutive double-doubles dating back to last season.
In Friday's victory over Illinois, Johnson scored 20 first-half points en route to a game-high 31-point effort.
On Sunday, Johnson again led all scorers with 30 points, and added a career and game-high 19 rebounds. Last week she also shot a team-leading 54.3 percent (25-of-46) from the floor, and drained a team-best seven three-pointers.
It is Johnson's third-career player of the week honor and Oregon's 38th all-time.
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.
HOT START
• For the third straight season head coach Paul Westhead has his team off to an undefeated 3-0 start. The Ducks have won each of their three games by nine points or less.
• The Ducks are shooting 43.0 percent from the floor, and holding opponents to a .345 clip. Oregon is also averaging 84.7 points per game.
JOHNSON ON FIRE
Following Monday's action in the Pac-12, Oregon senior Amanda Johnson is leading the conference in scoring (26.7 ppg) and rebounding (14.5). After entering the season 18th on UO's all-time scoring list, the Santa Rosa, Calif., has already moved up five spots, with 1,226 career points.
Currently the Pac-12 Player of the Week, Johnson reached the 30-point threshold twice last week, and now has recorded four consecutive double-doubles dating back to last season.
Johnson's career numbers include; 1,226 points (13th), 743 rebounds (9th), 132 three-pointers (8th), 168 steals (7th), 23 double-doubles (7th), 60 double-figure scoring games, three 30-point games, 16 20-point games, 29 times leading the club in scoring and 59 occasions leading the team in scoring.
Johnson has led the Ducks in rebounds for three straight years, and if she finishes the 2011-12 season leading the club on the boards, she will be the first UO player to accomplish that feat since Debbie Sporcich (1991-94).
SENIOR MOMENT
Senior Jasmin Holliday worked harder than ever this offseason, and apparently hard work pays off. The native of Chino Hills, Calif., has reached double figures in three consecutive games, and last Friday she recorded her first double-double of the year with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Holliday is averaging 17.3 points (5th Pac-12) and 9.7 rebounds (9th Pac-12) per game, and shooting 52.4 percent from the floor while leading UO with seven blocks.
SENIOR CLASS
The senior trio of Amanda Johnson, Jasmin Holliday and Nia Jackson have combined to score 152 of UO's 254 points this season - 65.0 percent.
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. Currently Oregon is averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game, shooting a .329 clip from the floor.
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.
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.
RUNNING THE POINT
Junior Laura Stanulis continues to handle point guard back-up duties for Nia Jackson. The Portland, Ore., native is having the best year of her career thus far. A former walk-on, Stanulis is fourth on the team averaging 9.0 points per game, to go along with 3.7 assists.
ROOKIES NO MORE
As a freshman last season, Ariel Thomas averaged 8.0 points and 2.2 assists per game, appearing in 26 games. 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.
Currently dealing with an Achilles injury, Thomas has not been available.
Sophomore forward Danielle Love, who plays the trailing post in Westhead's up-tempo system, has returned to her starting position. While struggling to find her shooting touch (.231, 6-26), Love is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game and is on the floor a team-best 34.7 minutes per game.
Hampered by a foot injury, Deanna Weaver missed the season opener. The 2011 Pac-10 All-Freshman Honorable Mention pick returned for six minutes of action vs. Illinois, netting a 3-pointer, but was not able to play against Portland State last Sunday.
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Oregon's freshman class was ranked 49th in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz.
SHE'S A SHOOTER
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.
Loera is averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and has knocked down six treys. Her most vital bucket came last Sunday as Oregon nursed a 72-71 lead over Portland State. With five seconds left on the game clock, Loera drained a baseline 3-pointer that sealed the Ducks' win.
RUNNING THE FLOOR
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 Westhead's system, Petersen's speed has been but to good use. The rookie is averaging 4.2 points per game and shooting 60.0 percent from the floor.
A FIRST
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.
Last Sunday against Portland State, Delgado came into the game and scored her first points as a Duck with a jumper and free throw. With Oregon clinging to a four-point lead, Delgado calmly knocked down a short jumper with 5:29 to play.
UNDER THE BASKET
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. Carpenter is averaging 3.0 rebounds per game.
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.
