Oregon Weekly WBB Release - Week 13 - University of Oregon Athletics

THIS WEEK
    Oregon (12-8, 3-6) hits the road for a critical weekend of Pac-10 play in the Northwest. Beginning the second round of conference play, the Ducks are currently in a three-way tie for seventh place with Washington (8-10, 3-6) and Washington State (5-16, 3-6). The Ducks take on the Huskies at 7 p.m., Thursday at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, before moving on to Pullman to play the Cougars at 1 p.m., Saturday from Beasley Coliseum.

Oregon at Washington
• TV: UWTV (Channel 27 on Comcast in Seattle); TV Talent: Dan Giuliani
• Live Video: Dawg Channel All-Access (a one-time fee of $9.95)
• Radio: OSN - THE SCORE 95.3 FM; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live Audio: O-Zone on www.GoDucks.com; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live stats: www.GoDucks.com

Oregon at Washington State
• TV: None
• Live Video: Cougar Channel All-Access
• Radio: OSN - THE SCORE 95.3 FM; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live Audio: O-Zone on www.GoDucks.com; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Live stats: www.GoDucks.com

$2 SATURDAY SEASON SPECIAL
    In honor of Oregon's inaugural season at Matthew Knight Arena, the women's basketball team will be offering $2 Saturdays for the remainder of the year.
    For Oregon's final two Saturday home basketball games at Matt Arena, the Ducks will sell $2 general admission tickets.
    Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE, calling 1-800-WEB-FOOT, or in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the game at the Matthew Knight Arena ticket windows 90 minutes prior to the game.
    Oregon broke the Pac-10 attendance record on Jan. 23 as 12,320 fans came to watch the Ducks defeat Oregon State in Civil War action. In the second $2 Saturday at Matt Arena, 4,011 spectators watched Oregon host California.

PROMOTIONS
    Oregon returns to Eugene on Thursday, Feb. 10 to host UCLA at Matthew Knight Arena. Scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off, Oregon will begin its Pink Zone weekend, supporting the Women's Basketball Coaches Association initiative to raise awareness for breast cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to both games during the Feb. 10 &12 weekend. The Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center will be in attendance to take donations and raffle off “Pink Zone” Oregon memorabilia during both games.
    Thursday, Feb. 10
    It will also be Greek Night at Matthew Knight Arena, and the house with the most students in attendance will win a tour of Matt Arena. The first 100 students through the doors will also receive a free Papa's pizza.
    It will also be Faculty Appreciation Night as UO faculty and staff receive free admission to the game by showing their UO ID card at the ticket window.
    Saturday, Feb. 12
    Saturday, Feb. 12 will be Mothers & Daughters Day at the arena as the Pink Zone celebration will still be active. Fans are asked to wear pink, and an adult can purchase a general admission ticket and receive a child's general admission ticket for free to watch the Ducks play USC with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m.
    At halftime the Becky Sisley Award will be awarded to former women's tennis player Helen (Zich) Higgins (1985-88), and all alumni in attendance will be honored as part of Alumni Weekend.

TICKETS
    Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE, calling 1-800-WEB-FOOT, or in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the game at the Matthew Knight Arena ticket windows 90 minutes prior to the game.

CALIFORNIA RECAP
    Amanda Johnson scored a game-high 26 points, including the Ducks' first 11 of the game, but California used a late 16-4 run to hold off Oregon 81-65 Saturday afternoon before 4,011 at Matthew Knight Arena.
    Nia Jackson added 14 points and nine assists for the Ducks, who fell to 12-8 overall, 3-6 in Pac-10 play.
    Layisha Clarendon led California (13-7, 5-4) with 19 points. Talia Caldwell added 17 and 11 rebounds for the Bears, while Lindsay Sherbert had 17 points and 10 boards, DeNesha Stallworth scored 15 and Eliza Pierre added 13 as Cal's starters accounted for all of the Bears' 81 points.
    After a lay-in by Johnson made it 60-55 with 9:36 to play, Cal went on a 16-4 run over the next 6:03 to put the game away.
    In spite of the loss, the Ducks turned in their best shooting effort in a Pac-10 game this season, making 25-of-54 attempts (46.3 percent). Overall, it was second only to the 46.4 percent the Ducks shot earlier in the year versus Western Oregon. Conversely, Oregon had a season-low in rebounds as the Bears posted a 43-29 edge in that category.

PREVIEWING WASHINGTON
    Washington heads into the weekend after closing the first round of Pac-10 play with a 64-52 victory over instate rival Washington State on Sunday.
    Guard Kristi Kingma scored 29 of UW's 64 points and added six rebounds and six steals as the Huskies shot just 30.9 percent from the floor.
    Oregon topped Washington, 68-64, back on Jan. 8 to close McArthur Court with a victory, led by 22 points from Nia Jackson and 15 points off the bench from Nicole Canepa.
    The Ducks' senior class holds a 5-3 record against Washington, but last won in Seattle back on Jan. 15, 2009 with a 75-55 victory. UO last swept Washington in the 2008-09 regular season, but fell to the Huskies in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament that year.

HEALTH UPDATE
    Senior guard Kristi Fallin suffered a sprained right ankle in the second half of Saturday's game against California, and she is currently day-to-day.

NOTEABLES
•    On Jan. 23, Oregon set a Pac-10 record as 12,320 fans packed Matthew Knight Arena to watch the first women's game at Oregon's newest venue. The Ducks proved victorious with an 81-72 Civil War win over Oregon State.
•     The Oregon women said goodbye to Mac Court with an all-time record of 338-127. The Ducks defeated Washington, 68-64, in front of a then season-best crowd of 2,854 at The Pit on Jan. 8 , 2011.
•    Oregon tied a program single-game record and knocked down a season-best 15 three-pointers in its 79-76 loss at USC on Jan. 13.
•     Oregon set a new single-game record with 75 rebounds against Sacramento State on Nov. 28, 2010.
•     The Ducks also set a new record with 34 offensive rebounds in the season opener against Western Oregon on Nov. 13, 2010.

JACKSON IGNITES JETS
    In Oregon's last seven games, junior point guard Nia Jackson has averaged 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
    The Seattle native has now reached double figures in scoring in 20 of her last 21 games dating back to last season, and has also led the Ducks in scoring in six of UO's last eight games.
    Jackson's seven 20-point efforts this season (9 career) tie with Stanford's Nnemkadi Ogwumike and teammate Amanda Johnson for tops in the Pac-10.
    Jackson currently leads the Pac-10 in scoring (16.8 ppg), assists (5.8 apg; 17th nation), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9; 33rd nation).

LEADER OF THE PACK
    Junior forward Amanda Johnson scored 26 points in Saturday's loss to California, falling just one point shy of 1,000 for her career. Currently with 999 career points, Johnson is poised to become the 23rd student-athlete to join the Oregon women's basketball 1,000-point club. If Johnson is able to reach the 1,000-point career mark this season, she will become the ninth player in UO history to complete the feat in their junior year, and the first since Shaquala Williams during the 2001-02 season.
    Johnson recorded her 18th double-figure scoring game (50 career) on Saturday, while leading the Ducks with six rebounds in the loss to California.
    Johnson's has led the Ducks in scoring 12 times this season, and her 16.5 points per game trail only teammate Nia Jackson (16.8 ppg) in the Pac-10 standings. Johnson's 8.2 rebounds per game rank fifth in the Pac-10 and lead Oregon.
    Currently tied for the team lead - along with Jackson - with 52 steals this season, Johnson now ranks 10th all-time in UO history with 152 career steals.

MILESTONES
•     Oregon junior forward Amanda Johnson picked up two steals in Thursday night's loss to fourth-ranked Stanford. Johnson's 152 career steals now rank 10th all-time at Oregon.
•     Oregon junior guard Nia Jackson scored the 700th point of her career in Oregon's Jan. 23, 81-72 victory over Oregon State.
• Johnson knocked down the 100th 3-pointer of her career in the Jan. 23 win over Oregon State. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native's 108 career three-pointers currently rank 10th all-time in UO history.
•    Kristi Fallin's 5-of-6 performance from three-point range (.833) in the Jan. 23 win over Oregon State tied for sixth in UO single-game history.
•    Jasmin Holliday and Victoria Kenyon each scored the 500th points of their respective careers at UCLA on Jan. 15, while freshman Deanna Weaver recorded the 100th point of her young career against the Bruins.
•     Currently, Johnson's 17 career double-doubles tie for seventh in Oregon history with Renae Fegent.
•     Nia Jackson became the first Oregon player since Corrie Mizusawa (Feb. 5, 2005) to record double figures in assists when she posted the first double-double of her career with 17 points and a career-best 11 assists in Oregon's Dec. 19, 100-71 win at Saint Mary's. The Seattle native did it again on Jan. 13 with a season-high 25 points and 11 assists at USC.

SCORING DUTIES
    In 20 games this season, either Amanda Johnson or Nia Jackson has led Oregon in scoring on 19 of those occasions. Kristi Fallin's 26-point effort against Sacramento State on Nov. 28, is the only exception.
    Currently Jackson (16.8 ppg) and Johnson (16.5 ppg) rank No. 1 and No. 2 in Pac-10 scoring, as no other Duck is averaging double figures.
    Johnson has led Oregon in scoring 12 times this season, and has led UO in rebounding on 12 occasions as well, while Jackson has led Oregon in scoring seven times and has topped the assist category for UO 17 times.

PAC-10 LEADERS
•    Junior guard Nia Jackson leads the Pac-10 in scoring (16.8 ppg), assists (5.8 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9).
•    Senior forward Victoria Kenyon leads the Pac-10 shooting .460 (23-of-50) from 3-point range.

FULL-COURT PRESSURE
    The Ducks are using their full-court pressure defense and up-tempo offense to disrupt opponents. Currently Oregon is forcing opponents into 23.4 turnovers per game, while the Ducks are second in the Pac-10 and 12th in the country averaging 12.7 steals per game.

UP-TEMPO OFFENSE
    Oregon has reached triple digits in scoring three times this season, and has scored over 80 points on 10 occasions. The Ducks are currently averaging 80.7 points per game to lead the Pac-10 and rank 10th in the country.
    The Ducks' 8.1 three-pointers per game lead the Pac-10 and rank seventh in the nation, while UO's 15.6 assists per game are third in the Pac-10 and rank 36th 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 7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. At shooting guard, junior college transfer Ashley Buis has knocked down 31 three-pointers, and is averaging 7.1 points per game, having reached double figures in seven contests.

THE ROOKIES
    Oregon head coach Paul Westhead has been adamant about using a deep bench 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 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game off the bench. Guard Ariel Thomas is averaging 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

CALLING IN THE RESERVES
    Oregon has scored 1,614 points this season, with 531 of those points coming from the reserves. In 20 games, Oregon's bench has outscored the opponent's bench 531-407. The Ducks' reserves have been outscored only five times this season, and UO has an 1-4 record in those games. Oregon is 11-3 when its bench outscores the opponent, and 0-1 when the teams' benches are equal in points scored.

WALKING THE RED CARPET
    Two members of the Oregon women's basketball team have received Pac-10 Player of the Week honors this year.
    Junior forward Amanda Johnson was named Pac-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Week on Nov. 29, after helping Oregon to a 3-1 record. Johnson was voted the Oregon Invitational's Most Valuable Player, and led the Ducks in scoring (20.5 ppg), rebounding (10.8 rpg), steals (15) and blocks (6) during UO's four games from Nov. 22-28.
    Junior point guard Nia Jackson was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on Jan. 10, after leading the Ducks to a sweep of the Washington schools, averaging 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 5.0 steals per game. Jackson was also named to the Oregon Invitational all-tournament team.

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, scoring average, field goals made, 3-point field goals made, rebounds and steals.
    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.