Notes: Ducks Visit UTEP for WNIT Quarterfinals
03/25/16 | Women's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon women's basketball team heads to UTEP for a Monday night meeting in the quarterfinals of the WNIT.
The Ducks and Miners tip at 6 PM PT (7 PM MT) on Monday. UTEP defeated TCU on Thursday night in the third round.
OREGON BREAKDOWN (23-10, 9-9 Pac-12)
FG%: 46.7 | 3FG%: 41.9 | FT%: 69.9 | PPG: 73.3
WNIT Bracket: See the full bracket on page 4
Notable: Oregon knocked off Utah for the third time this season on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the WNIT. After shooting under 30 percent from three in three losses prior to the WNIT, the Ducks are shooting 52.2 percent (36-of-69) so far from deep in the tournament. Oregon is the best three-point shooting team in the nation this year at 41.9 percent. In the win vs. Utah, Lexi Bando poured in 34 points, her second-highest output of the season. The guard is averaging 20.7 points per game in the WNIT.
UTEP BREAKDOWN (29-4, 16-2 C-USA)
FG%: 41.0 | 3FG%: 26.0 | FT%: 68.2 | PPG: 71.2
Series Record: UO leads, 1-0 (Never played in El Paso)
Last Meeting: Oregon won, 90-70 (1/3/94 in Eugene)
Notable: UTEP won the regular season C-USA title but lost in the second round of the league tournament, 66-54, to Old Dominion. The Miners have knocked off Abilene Christian, Arkansas State and TCU at home in the first three rounds of the WNIT. Jenzel Nash is averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game while Nash and Chrishauna Parker average a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game. UTEP shoots 26 percent from three as a team but holds opponents to 27.4 percent.
BROADCAST INFO
Oregon's fourth round game in the WNIT will be available on the radio via KUGN590 in Eugene, KUIK 1360 in Portland or TuneIn worldwide with Terry Jonz on the call. Search “Oregon IMG” in the app or TuneIn.com to find the broadcast.
OREGON'S WNIT HISTORY
- Oregon is 17-4 all-time in the WNIT
- The Ducks won WNIT titles in 1989 and 2002. In 1989, Oregon defeated San Diego State, 67-64, in the title game and in 2002 UO knocked off Houston, 54-52, in the championship game.
- The Ducks last went to the WNIT in 2014, defeating Pacific, 90-63, in the first round before falling to Washington, 93-85, in the second round.
- Oregon has played its last eight WNIT games at home. The last time the Ducks played on the road in the WNIT was at Wyoming in 2007, a 64-62 loss.
PAC-12 HONORS
- Jillian Alleyne was named Pac-12 co-player of the year by the media, splitting the vote with OSU's Jamie Weisner. Weisner won the coaches vote.
- Alleyne was also named all-Pac-12 by both the coaches and media. Lexi Petersen and Maite Cazorla were honorable mention all-Pac-12 choices.
- Cazorla was a unanimous selection to the Pac-12 all-freshman team by both the coaches and media.
- Alleyne was a unanimous all-defense choice.
NO. 1 THREE-POINT SHOOTING TEAM
The Ducks are shooting a whopping 52.2 percent from three so far in the WNIT, but that is hardly out of the ordinary for this squad. Oregon is shooting 41.9 percent from three-point range this year as a team, the best in the nation. Helping to achieve that mark are four terrific long-range shooters, all ranking in the top-10 in the Pac-12 in three-point field goal percentage.
- Lexi Petersen leads the Pac-12, shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. If the season ended today, that percentage would be the fourth-best in UO history.
- Despite being just a freshman last season, guard Lexi Bando led the Pac-12 in three-point field goal percentage. The Eugene native shot 40 percent (55-of-125) from long range last year, the fifth-best percentage in UO single-season history. She is shooting even better so far this season, 44.7 percent, which ranks thrid in the Pac-12.
- Senior Kat Cooper is seventh in the conference, shooting 41.5 percent from long range.
- Freshman Maite Cazorla ranks eighth in the league, shooting 39.8 pecent on three-pointers.
CAZORLA MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
- Maite Cazorla started in her first career game, a victory at then-No. 22 North Carolina, and has shined since.
- The native of the Canary Islands has 190 assists, tied for the second most in the UO single-season history. She is 19 away from matching Corrie Mizusawa's record of 209, set during the 2004-05 season.
- Cazorla is first in the Pac-12 and ranks 20th in the NCAA averaging 5.8 assists per game. She leads all freshmen in the nation with that number.
- Against Long Beach State, Cazorla tallied 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds. She followed that up with a 20-point, nine-assist effort against Fresno State last Monday. Against the Utes on Wednesday, Cazorla went for 13 points and nine more assists.
- Against the swarming defense of then-No. 8 Arizona State on Jan. 29, Cazorla had one of her best games. The freshman tallied 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting with six assists and just one turnover.
- She had back-to-back games with 12 assists each in wins over Portland State and Seattle U.
- Cazorla had nine points and nine assists in her debut, a win at No. 22 ranked North Carolina on Nov. 15.
- She tallied a career-high 26 points vs. USC on Feb. 21.
PETERSEN'S STRONG SENIOR YEAR
- Lexi Petersen became the 27th player in UO history to reach 1,000 career points when the Ducks defeated Cal on Jan. 17, 2016. She needed seven points to reach the milestone coming into the game and ended up finishing the victory with 12 points.
- Petersen has played in 124 games in her career, tied for the second-most in UO history. When she steps on the floor at UTEP, she will match Micaela Cocks for the UO career record of 125 games played.
- Petersen recently jumped Cocks in the UO record book for 16th with 1,206 career points.
- Petersen is averaging a career-best 13.6 points per game, besting her previous high of 11.1 points per game set last year as a junior.
- Also impressive is how much Petersen's shooting has improved. A career 40.2 percent shooter, Petersen is shooting 46.1 percent from the floor this season.
THE QUEST FOR 20 WINS
Oregon has reached the 20-win mark for the first since going 21-10 with a 12-6 league mark in 2004-05. The record for wins in a single-season for the Ducks is 25, set in 1980-81 under head coach Elwin Heiny and again in 1998-99 under Jody Runge.
