Oregon WBB Weekly Release: Denver & Nevada
12/08/11 | Women's Basketball
OREGON-DENVER LIVE COVERAGE
• Date: Sunday, Dec. 11
• Time: 12:30 PM PT
• Venue: Magness Arena
• TV: ROOT Sports (Comcast 34); Marc Stout, play-by-play & Greg Lackey
• Radio: KUGN 590 AM in Eugene/Springfield; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Webcast: None
• Live Audio: O-Zone • Live Stats: www.GoDucks.com
• Twitter: @OregonWBB for in-game updates, stats, etc
• vs. Denver: Oregon leads 1-0
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS
Happy Holidays! - Monday, Dec. 19
FREE Oregon women's basketball trading cards will be given to the first
2,000 fans through the doors! General admission tickets will be
available for $3, and pregame Gingerbread house making for all kids in
attendance.
Family Furlough Day - Wednesday, Dec. 21
All kids ages 12 and under can purchase $3 general admission tickets.
Bring your ticket from the Dec. 20 men's basketball game against North
Carolina Central, and receive free admission.
THIS WEEK
Oregon took a week off for finals following an 88-78 victory over Portland last Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks will return to action at Denver this Sunday, during their second road trip of the year. The game with the Pioneers is a return trip after Denver visited Eugene on Dec. 17, 2010.
After its match up with the Pioneers, the Ducks will continue on their road trip, playing at Nevada on Wednesday.
DENVER NOTES
• The first ever meeting between Oregon and Denver was an 82-71 Ducks' victory on Dec. 17, 2010 at McArthur Court. Amanda Johnson led all scorers with 24 points and added 12 rebounds, while Denver's Kaetlyn Murdoch added 20 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. The Ducks return five student-athletes who played in last year's game, including three starters, while the Pioneers return four players, including two starters.
• An Oregon win on Sunday would match Paul Westhead's best start to the season as the 2009-10 squad also opened the year with a record of 8-1. Two wins on the road trip would mean the Ducks' best start since the 1983-84 squad opened the year 9-1.
• Denver is 6-2 on the season, and will travel to currently undefeated Colorado (7-0) on Thursday before hosting the Ducks. Murdoch leads the Pioneers averaging 17.0 points per game. Denver is limiting opponents to 60.4 points per game.
NEVADA NOTES
• Nevada enters the 2011-12 campaign after a record-breaking season that ended with a 78-59 loss to the USC in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The Wolf Pack finished last season 22-11 as the program's win total was a new record. Nevada also hosted its first ever postseason game.
• Nevada returns seven players from last season's record-breaking squad, but lost its top four scorers. The Wolf Pack also list five freshmen on the roster.
• Oregon holds a 4-0 all-time advantage in the series against Nevada with the last meeting a 61-50 Duck victory on Nov. 20, 2005 in Eugene. Oregon's last visit to Reno was a 93-68 win on Dec. 22, 1986.
• Oregon is currently 0-1 against the Western Athletic Conference this season after an 81-71 loss at Fresno State. Head coach Paul Westhead is 3-1 against the WAC during his tenure at Oregon.
• Nevada is 2-5 on the season, and most recently fell, 80-73, on the road at Portland State.
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.
PLAYING FAST
Head coach Paul Westhead said before the season started that he wanted his team playing even faster. So far, so good. The Ducks' 85.6 points per game leads the Pac-12 and UO enters the week ranking third in the country. Baylor leads the nation averaging 89.4 points per game.
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 contests.
Oregon's 8.6 three-pointers per game rank ninth in the nation, as Florida Gulf Coast leads the country with 13.5 long-distance buckets per game.
The Ducks have proven to be a deadly three-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.
DOUBLE-FIGURES
• Oregon has recorded four wins by 10 points or more.
• Oregon's roster has totaled 29 occasions of players scoring in double figures led by Amanda Johnson (8) and Jasmin Holliday (8).
• The Ducks have also posted nine double-figure rebounding efforts led by Johnson (6).
MORE NUMBERS
• The Ducks are an undefeated 7-0 when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponent. If Oregon were to maintain its current shooting percentage of .432, it would be the program's best clip since 2002-03.
• Oregon has not trailed in two games this season.
• In their last four games, the Ducks have held the rebounding edge (115-109), and in addition have averaged 18.0 offensive boards per game, scoring a total of 89 second-chance points.
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.
HOMECOMING
Oregon's trip to Denver on Sunday will be the first of two trips to the state of Colorado this season. The Ducks will return to play new conference member Colorado on March 1.
The trip is also a homecoming for freshman Megan Carpenter (Longmont, Colo.)
JOHNSON ON FIRE
Oregon senior forward Amanda Johnson has recorded six double-doubles in eight games this season, and along with teammate Jasmin Holliday, has reached double figures in scoring in all eight games.
The Santa Rosa, Calif., native's average of 22.4 points per game ranks second in the Pac-12 and 10th in the country, while her 11.9 rebounds per game leads the conference and ranks fifth in the nation.
Johnson's six double-doubles and six double-figure rebounding games leads the conference. In addition, Johnson's 19-rebound performance against Portland State is the highest single-game total in the Pac-12 this year.
Johnson's career numbers include; 1,325 points (11th), 796 rebounds (8th), 142 three-pointers (7th), 178 steals (5th), 26 double-doubles (7th), 65 double-figure scoring games, three 30-point games, 18 20-point games, 33 times leading the club in scoring and 62 occasions leading the team in rebounding.
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., is averaging a career-best 16.4 points per game (9th Pac-12) and 8.9 rebounds per game (8th Pac-12).
Holliday has scored double figures in all eight games this year, and is shooting a team-leading 55.1 percent from the floor, which ranks ninth in the Pac-12 and 44th in the country.
In last Sunday's 88-78 win over Portland, Holliday recorded the second 20-point game of her season and career, and also set a new career high knocking down three three-pointers.
FINALIZING THE TRIO
Sophomore Danielle Love finalizes the starting front court trio of herself, Amanda Johnson and Jasmin Holliday. The Everett, Wash., native has recorded three new career scoring highs in her last five games. The latest was a 16-point effort in last Sunday's win over Portland. She added 10 rebounds and a career-best five assists, recording her first double-double this season and the second of her career.
Love is the one player head coach Paul Westhead can't take out of the game as she is playing a team-best 33.2 minutes per game.
Love has also recovered after a slow start to the season. After shooting a combined 6-of-26 (.231) in her first three games, Love is averaging 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the floor and draining 10 three-pointers in her last five starts.
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.
Currently Jackson is averaging 9.3 points and a team-leading 4.3 assists per game.
COMBO GUARD
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.
After missing the first three games of the season with Achilles trouble, Thomas returned to the floor in Oregon's 88-73 victory over Weber State on Nov. 24. In her last five games coming off the bench at both guard spots, Thomas is averaging 7.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, and has knocked down six three-pointers.
ON THE MEND
A 2011 Pac-10 all-freshman honorable mention, Deanna Weaver missed three games this season hampered by a foot injury . She is currently averaging 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
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 scored a career-high and team-high tying 17 points in an 89-77 victory over UC Irvine, while also knocking down a career-best five three-pointers. The Moses Lake, Wash., native is averaging 7.5 points per game, and is second on the team knocking down 15 three-pointers.
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 put to good use. The rookie is averaging 5.0 points per game.
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.
Delgado has appeared off the bench in six games.
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 4.0 rebounds per game.
RUNNING THE POINT
Junior point guard Laura Stanulis continues to handle back-up point guard duties as Ariel Thomas spends time at shooting guard. A former walk-on and now on scholarship, Stanulis is averaging a career-best 5.9 points per game, and is also second on the team with 23 assists.
