Civil War Weekend Begins Friday in Sold-Out MKA

EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 4 ranked Oregon women's basketball team enters one of the most important weekends of the season this week, with two top-10 Civil War showdowns against No. 7 Oregon State on tap in a span of less than 48 hours.

The Ducks, coming off a dominant weekend against the Bay Area schools that saw them win by a combined 82 points, will host the first meeting on Friday night in Matthew Knight Arena before going to Corvallis for round two on Sunday afternoon. Both games will be played in front of sold-out crowds.

Game Details
Matchup: #4 Oregon (15-2, 5-1) vs. #7 Oregon State (16-2, 4-2)
Date: Friday, January 24, 2020
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Venue: Matthew Knight Arena
Opening Tip: 7:06 p.m. PT
Doors Open: 6:00 p.m. PT

Broadcast Information
TV: Pac-12 Network
PxP: Ann Schatz | Analyst: Mary Murphy
Radio: Oregon Sports Network
Eugene: KUGN 590 AM | Portland: KDZR 1640 AM
PxP: Terry Jonz | Analyst: Bev Smith

By the Numbers
1 - With 938 in her career, Sabrina Ionescu needs just one more assist to pass Gary Payton for the most in Pac-12 men's and women's history
22 - Sabrina Ionescu's 22 career triple-doubles are an NCAA all-time record for both men and women; NCAA-leading 4 this season.
87.6 - The Ducks boast one of the nation's most dynamic offenses, ranking second in the NCAA with 87.6 points per game.
1.84 - Oregon is No. 1 in the nation with a 1.84 assist-to-turnover ratio; Minyon Moore ranks No. 2 individually at 4.59.
50.7 - The Ducks are No. 2 in the nation with a 50.7 field goal percentage; Ruthy Hebard is No. 3 individually at 68.5 percent.
44-2 - Oregon is a perfect 10-0 at home this season with an astounding 44-2 record in Matthew Knight Arena over the last three seasons.

Ionescu's Historic Week
The best player in the nation played one of the greatest games of her storied career last week in Oregon's 87-55 blowout win over then-No. 3 Stanford. Sabrina Ionescu erupted for a career-high 37 points while matching her career-high with 14 field goals, and the senior superstar added 11 rebounds and seven assists while leading the Ducks in their most complete performance so far this season. Ionescu's career night moved her past Allison Lang (2,252, 1980-84) for the Oregon all-time scoring record that stood for 36 years, and the reigning national player of the year also surpassed 900 career rebounds, becoming the first player in NCAA women's history to reach 2,000+ points, 900+ rebounds and 900+ assists. Three days later against Cal, Ionescu posted her fourth straight double-double and team-leading 10th of the season with 14 points and 10 assists, tying her with Gary Payton for the all-time Pac-12 men's and women's assists record with 938 in her career. Ionescu's historic two-game stretch earned her USBWA and ESPNW national player of the week honors, and she was the Pac-12 player of the week for the second time this season.

Ionescu_Colo

Home Cookin'
The Ducks are a perfect 10-0 this season inside Matthew Knight Arena, and Oregon is an astounding 44-2 at home over the last three seasons. Oregon is outscoring its opponents by a whopping 43.2 PPG at home this season, and the Ducks have yet to allow 65 points or more so far in MKA.

This is the Greatest Show
The Ducks are undefeated at home this season, and one of the biggest reasons for UO's home success is the team's popularity in and around Eugene. Oregon leads the nation in total attendance (101,633) and is No. 2 in average attendance (10,163), and those figures don't even include the 11,530 fans who came to watch the Ducks take down the USA Women's National Team on 11/9/19, or the 9,447 who attended the 12/28/19 exhibition game against Corban. The Ducks drew a near-sellout crowd of 12,218 against Stanford on 1/16/20, and Friday's Civil War battle against Oregon State will have a sold-out crowd of 12,364.

Civil War Series History (UO leads, 61-41)
The Ducks enter Civil War weekend with a 61-41 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1974. Oregon State has controlled the series as of late, winning 15 of the last 17 going into Friday's game. The Ducks broke up a 14-game OSU winning streak with back-to-back wins on 1/21/18 and 2/15/19 - both victories coming in Eugene - before the Beavers pulled out a 67-62 win in Corvallis on 2/18/19. Sabrina Ionescu averaged 25 PPG in the two Civil War meetings last season.

About the #7 Beavers (16-2, 4-2)
Oregon State is coming off a narrow 61-58 loss to then-No. 3 Stanford on Sunday, the Beavers' second loss in three games after they fell at Arizona State the same weekend the Ducks were upset by the Sun Devils. Oregon State boasts one of the top defenses in the nation, ranking second in defensive rebounds per game (33.1), third in field-goal percentage defense (32.8) and ninth in scoring defense (53.4 PPG). Mikayla Pivec leads the Pac-12 with 9.6 rebounds per game, and Destiny Slocum is the Beavers' leading scorer at 15.1 PPG with Pivec right behind at 14.8 PPG. Taylor Jones has been the Pac-12 freshman of the week three times already this season and is No. 3 in the conference with a 59.2 field-goal percentage.

Ridiculous Run Fuels Top-10 Victory
Oregon led by just six points at halftime against Stanford last week, but a ridiculous second-half run helped the Ducks pull away for a 32-point victory in the top-10 battle. From the 7:58 mark in the third quarter until the 2:23 mark in the fourth quarter, the Ducks scored on an astounding 24 of 26 possessions, with Sabrina Ionescu scoring 22 points during that stretch en route to her career-high 37-point performance. The win was the Ducks' first top-10 victory of the season, and the eighth since Kelly Graves took over the program in 2014-15. Though still early in the conference schedule, the Ducks' statement win could have longterm implications as they continue their quest for a third straight Pac-12 regular season title.

Surging Sabally Goes Off Against Cal
Satou Sabally continued her recent offensive surge with the best game of her the season last Sunday against California. Sabally went 11-of-14 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line for a season-high 31 points to lead Oregon to a 50-point win over the Golden Bears, surpassing 30 points for the third time in her career. The junior's stellar game came three days after she recorded her second double-double of the season and sixth of her career with 18 points and 11 rebounds against then-No. 3 Stanford on 1/16/20. Sabally, who missed opening week playing overseas with the German Women's National Team, has now scored in double figures in 10 of her 13 games so far this season, and she is averaging 22.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG in the Ducks' last three games entering Friday's contest. On the season, Sabally is averaging 16.0 PPG and 6.7 RPG, both good for No. 3 on the team.

Sabally_Cal

Boley Finds Her Stroke
It's been a trying season so far for junior Erin Boley, who has struggled to find consistency with her shot after ranking 12th in the NCAA last year in three-point percentage (43.0). Boley broke out last Sunday against Cal, going 6-of-8 from behind the arc for a season-high 22 points, her first 20-point game of the season and seventh in double figures. Entering the Cal game, Boley had gone 5-of-19 from three-point range since going 4-of-5 for 18 points on 12/21/19 against Kansas State. Boley is shooting 38.5 percent from deep so far this season, third on the team and the best among Oregon's regular five starters.

Ionescu Climbing Up All-Time Assists List
Sabrina Ionescu continued her year of milestones with another big one in UO's win over Colorado on 1/3/20. With seven assists, the senior superstar hit 900 even for her career to become just the 12th player in the history of NCAA women's basketball to join the 900 assists club. Ionescu enters Friday's game with 938 career assists, putting her at No. 9 on the NCAA WBB all-time list and two dimes away from No. 8, and tying her with Gary Payton for the Pac-12 all-time record for both men and women.

Shooting The Lights Out
Oregon ranks No. 2 in the nation in scoring offense with 87.6 points per game, just barely coming in behind Baylor (87.8), and the Ducks are also No. 2 in the NCAA with a 50.7 field-goal percentage as a team. One of the biggest factor's in Oregon's efficiency has been its dominance in the paint, where the Ducks own a 322-point advantage and have outscored their opponents every game so far, including a 56-16 advantage over Colorado and a 50-18 advantage against Utah. Ruthy Hebard has elevated Oregon's field goal percentage a great deal as the senior post ranks No. 3 in the nation individually with a 68.5 shooting percentage. From three-point range, the Ducks rank No. 8 in the nation with 9.3 threes per game and No. 25 with a 36.7 shooting percentage from behind the arc.

Ionescu, Moore Lead Dynamic Offense
The Ducks boast one of the nation's most dynamic and efficient offenses, which is directed by senior guards Sabrina Ionescu and Minyon Moore. Oregon leads the NCAA with a 1.84 assist-to-turnover ratio, with Moore ranking second nationally at 4.59 and Ionescu fifth at 3.11. The Ducks are No. 3 in the country with 21.5 assists per game behind Ionescu's NCAA-leading 8.6 APG, and Moore is second on the team at 4.6 APG. UO leads the Pac-12 and is No. 8 nationally with just 11.6 turnovers per game.

Ramping Up The Defensive Intensity
The Ducks are clearly one of the nation's premiere offensive teams, but they have made it a point over the last several games of turning up the intensity on the defensive end as well. Oregon has held nine of its last 10 opponents under 65 points, including three to 46 points or less, and have recorded 98 total steals and 27 blocked shots while forcing 170 total turnovers over the last 10 games. The Ducks' defensive improvement was sparked by a new three-quarter court press implemented during the South Dakota State game, when the Ducks held the Jackrabbits to just 37.2 percent shooting while forcing 13 turnovers, including 10 in the first half. Oregon forced a season-high 22 turnovers last Sunday against the Golden Bears after pressuring Stanford into 18 a few days earlier. As a team, the Ducks are up to No. 29 nationally in scoring defense at 56.5 PPG allowed.