Saturday, December 19
Seattle, WA
2:00 PM
University of Oregon
at
Washington
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Trip to Seattle Next For No. 7 Ducks
12/16/20 | Women's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. - Following a dominant road win at then-No. 15 Oregon State on Sunday, the Oregon women's basketball team will look to continue its impressive start to the 2020-21 season as the No. 7 Ducks head north for another rivalry matchup on Saturday against Washington in Seattle.
Oregon is 5-0 to start the season while winning each of its first three conference games in dominant fashion to kick off its quest for a fourth straight Pac-12 title. The Ducks have now won 24 straight games dating back to last season, a program record and the longest active winning streak in the nation.
Game Details
Matchup: #7 Oregon (5-0, 3-0) at Washington (4-2, 1-2)
Date: Saturday, December 19, 2020
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Venue: Alaska Airlines Arena
Opening Tip: 2:06 p.m. PT
Broadcast Information
TV: Pac-12 Oregon & Pac-12 Washington
pac-12.com/live
PxP: Elise Woodward | Analyst: Kelsey Plum
Radio: Oregon Sports Network
Eugene: KUGN 590 AM | Portland: KDZR 1640 AM
PXP: Terry Jonz
Numbers to Know
10 - Oregon has had 10 different players score in all five games so far this season, with 12 Ducks scoring on two different occasions.
22 - Freshman Te-Hina Paopao scored a career-high 22 points at OSU, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep.
24 - Oregon has won a program-record 24 straight games dating back to 2019-20, the longest active win streak in the nation.
51.6 - Oregon is allowing just 51.6 PPG through five games - No. 2 in the Pac-12 - and has held every opponent to less than 60 points.
60.0% - Taylor Mikesell is shooting 60.0 percent (18-of-30) from 3-point range, No. 1 in the nation among players with 20+ attempts.
160 - Kelly Graves enters Saturday with 160 wins as Oregon's head coach, tied with Jody Runge (1993-01) for No. 2 in program history.
A Win Would...
» Extend Oregon's program-record and NCAA-best winning streak to 25 games.
» Be UO's 22nd straight in Pac-12 play and 12th straight on the road.
» Make Oregon 4-0 to start Pac-12 play for the second time in the last three years, and 6-0 overall for the third straight year.
» Be Oregon's seventh straight vs. Washington and would give the Ducks a 52-51 lead in the all-time series.
Series History vs. Washington
All-Time Series Record: Tied, 51-51
Current Streak: Oregon W6
Last Meeting: Oregon won, 92-56 (3/1/20, in Eugene)
Just Keep Winning
Oregon is 3-0 to start Pac-12 play for the second time in the last three years and 5-0 overall for the third straight season, extending the nation's longest active winning streak and program record to 24 straight games dating back to last season. UO has also won 21 straight conference games (third-longest streak in the nation) and 11 consecutive road contests (tied second-longest streak in the nation) entering Saturday's showdown with the Huskies.
Ducks Blast Beavers in Corvallis
The Ducks put together the most complete performance vs. Oregon State of the Kelly Graves era on Sunday, racing out to a 45-21 halftime lead and never letting up in a 79-59 road victory, the program's biggest win over the Beavers since 2010. Newcomers Te-Hina Paopao (below) and Taylor Mikesell asserted themselves in their first career game vs. OSU, with Paopao scoring a career-best 22 points and Mikesell pouring in 21 as Oregon went an impressive 12-of-24 as a team from three-point range.
No Lack of Depth for New-Look Ducks
Kelly Graves wasted no time reloading a roster that lost four starters from last season's 31-2 squad - including three WNBA top-10 picks in Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard. Oregon brought in the nation's top-ranked freshman class - made up of five top-25 recruits and McDonald's all-Americans - along with a pair of transfers to join four returners and two redshirts. The Ducks' depth has been on display early on in 2020-21 with 12 different players scoring against both Portland and Colorado, and at least 10 Ducks have scored in all five games so far. Eight Ducks are averaging 5.0 PPG or more entering Saturday with five averaging double figures, and nine different players have combined for 17 total double-figure scoring performances.
All Ducks, All Day
Oregon has jumped out to a 5-0 start in impressive fashion, not only beating but dominating its opponents from the opening tip early on 2020-21. The Ducks are outscoring opposing teams 118-50 in the first quarter through five games, and Oregon has yet to allow a team to surpass 30 points in the first half or 60 points in a game. UO has trailed for only 1 minute and 54 seconds total so far this season and has yet to fall behind by more than three points. Oregon is averaging 89.4 PPG while allowing only 51.6 PPG for a plus-37.8 scoring margin, No. 5 in the nation entering the weekend.
Paopao Next in Graves' Line of Great Point Guards?
Few coaches have developed point guards as successfully as Kelly Graves, the mentor to the only two players ever to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 assists in Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot. With Ionescu's legendary career at an end and Minyon Moore gone after a terrific year as a grad transfer, Graves immediately turned to freshman Te-Hina Paopao, who he believes "has a chance a chance to be a real star." The first freshman to start a season opener for UO since Ionescu in 2016-17, Paopao enters the weekend leading the Pac-12 with 23 total assists against just eight turnovers, and she has scored in double figures in each of her first three career conference games. The Oceanside, Calif., native went 9-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep on Sunday at Oregon State for a career-best 22 points, putting together her first career 20-point performance in just 25 minutes of action. Paopao is 23-of-44 (.523) so far from the field while shooting an even 50.0 percent (10-of-20) from three-point range while starting each of the first five games.
Mikesell Off to Sizzling Start as a Duck
Taylor Mikesell established herself as one of the nation's top shooters in two seasons at Maryland, and the junior transfer has immediately lived up to the hype early in her Duck career. Mikesell poured in a career-high 28 points on a career-best 8-of-10 three-point shooting in the season opener vs. Seattle, and she is shooting a stellar 60.0 percent (18-of-30) from beyond the arc through five games, the top mark in the nation among players with at least 20 attempts. Mikesell went for 21 points on Sunday at Oregon State - her second 20-point game as a Duck and 11th of her career - while going 8-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range. Mikesell was huge in getting Oregon out to a double-digit lead after the first quarter, scoring 12 of Oregon's first 21 points while making four of her first five attempts from deep. "She's as good a shooter as I've ever coached," said head coach Kelly Graves.
It's been a long two-plus years for Nyara Sabally - who lost the opportunity to play with her sister Satou Sabally after suffering knee injuries in each of her first two seasons as a Duck - but early on in 2020-21 it seems the 6-foot-5 forward was well worth the wait. Sabally led Oregon with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double in Oregon's win over Colorado to open Pac-12 play, going a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor to tie for the fifth-best shooting performance in UO single-game history. Sabally is a terrific 23-of-35 (.657) from the field for 10.6 PPG through her first five career games while leading the Ducks with 37 total rebounds (7.4 RPG), including a team-best 17 on the offensive end. "It hurt my heart my heart to not be on the court with my teammates," Sabally said after the Colorado game. "Now that I'm on the court, it's the best feeling ever."
Cracking Down Defensively
The Ducks have been one of the nation's premiere offensive teams ever since Kelly Graves arrived in Eugene, but 2019-20 saw Oregon rise to prominence on the defensive end as well. Led by Pac-12 all-defensive selection Minyon Moore, the Ducks improved from 135th nationally to 41st overall in scoring defense, allowing a single-season program low 57.9 points per game. Oregon has been terrific defensively so far in 2020-21, holding each of its first five opponents to less than 60 points and not letting a team get to 30 points in the first half to rank in the top 20 in the nation with just 51.6 PPG allowed. UO was especially tough defensively on Dec. 6 vs. Utah behind four blocks from Nyara Sabally, holding the Utes to 28.6 percent shooting while forcing 19 turnovers in an 85-43 win to tie for the fewest points Oregon has allowed in a conference game since 2008-09. "That was the story of the game," Kelly Graves said of the defensive effort.
Simple Plays
Oregon has been one of the nation's most explosive and efficient offenses under Kelly Graves, and the Ducks have done so by sharing and being smart with the basketball. UO has led the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio each of the last two seasons, with the duo of Minyon Moore and Sabrina Ionescu each ranking in the top five nationally last year as individuals. The new-look Ducks kept this trend going in the 2020-21 opener vs. Seattle with 22 total assists - including seven by freshman starter Te-Hina Paopao - while committing only three turnovers as a team. Oregon enters this weekend ranked fourth in the nation with a solid 1.82 assist-to-turnover ratio after dishing out 25 total assists on 32 total field goals against just seven turnovers on Sunday at OSU.
Up Next
Oregon will fly to Pullman following Saturday's game to close out the 2020 calendar year with an 11 a.m. PT showdown with Washington State on Monday (Pac-12 Network).
Oregon is 5-0 to start the season while winning each of its first three conference games in dominant fashion to kick off its quest for a fourth straight Pac-12 title. The Ducks have now won 24 straight games dating back to last season, a program record and the longest active winning streak in the nation.
Game Details
Matchup: #7 Oregon (5-0, 3-0) at Washington (4-2, 1-2)
Date: Saturday, December 19, 2020
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Venue: Alaska Airlines Arena
Opening Tip: 2:06 p.m. PT
Broadcast Information
TV: Pac-12 Oregon & Pac-12 Washington
pac-12.com/live
PxP: Elise Woodward | Analyst: Kelsey Plum
Radio: Oregon Sports Network
Eugene: KUGN 590 AM | Portland: KDZR 1640 AM
PXP: Terry Jonz
Numbers to Know
10 - Oregon has had 10 different players score in all five games so far this season, with 12 Ducks scoring on two different occasions.
22 - Freshman Te-Hina Paopao scored a career-high 22 points at OSU, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep.
24 - Oregon has won a program-record 24 straight games dating back to 2019-20, the longest active win streak in the nation.
51.6 - Oregon is allowing just 51.6 PPG through five games - No. 2 in the Pac-12 - and has held every opponent to less than 60 points.
60.0% - Taylor Mikesell is shooting 60.0 percent (18-of-30) from 3-point range, No. 1 in the nation among players with 20+ attempts.
160 - Kelly Graves enters Saturday with 160 wins as Oregon's head coach, tied with Jody Runge (1993-01) for No. 2 in program history.
A Win Would...
» Extend Oregon's program-record and NCAA-best winning streak to 25 games.
» Be UO's 22nd straight in Pac-12 play and 12th straight on the road.
» Make Oregon 4-0 to start Pac-12 play for the second time in the last three years, and 6-0 overall for the third straight year.
» Be Oregon's seventh straight vs. Washington and would give the Ducks a 52-51 lead in the all-time series.
Series History vs. Washington
All-Time Series Record: Tied, 51-51
Current Streak: Oregon W6
Last Meeting: Oregon won, 92-56 (3/1/20, in Eugene)
Just Keep Winning
Oregon is 3-0 to start Pac-12 play for the second time in the last three years and 5-0 overall for the third straight season, extending the nation's longest active winning streak and program record to 24 straight games dating back to last season. UO has also won 21 straight conference games (third-longest streak in the nation) and 11 consecutive road contests (tied second-longest streak in the nation) entering Saturday's showdown with the Huskies.
Ducks Blast Beavers in Corvallis
The Ducks put together the most complete performance vs. Oregon State of the Kelly Graves era on Sunday, racing out to a 45-21 halftime lead and never letting up in a 79-59 road victory, the program's biggest win over the Beavers since 2010. Newcomers Te-Hina Paopao (below) and Taylor Mikesell asserted themselves in their first career game vs. OSU, with Paopao scoring a career-best 22 points and Mikesell pouring in 21 as Oregon went an impressive 12-of-24 as a team from three-point range.
No Lack of Depth for New-Look Ducks
Kelly Graves wasted no time reloading a roster that lost four starters from last season's 31-2 squad - including three WNBA top-10 picks in Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard. Oregon brought in the nation's top-ranked freshman class - made up of five top-25 recruits and McDonald's all-Americans - along with a pair of transfers to join four returners and two redshirts. The Ducks' depth has been on display early on in 2020-21 with 12 different players scoring against both Portland and Colorado, and at least 10 Ducks have scored in all five games so far. Eight Ducks are averaging 5.0 PPG or more entering Saturday with five averaging double figures, and nine different players have combined for 17 total double-figure scoring performances.
All Ducks, All Day
Oregon has jumped out to a 5-0 start in impressive fashion, not only beating but dominating its opponents from the opening tip early on 2020-21. The Ducks are outscoring opposing teams 118-50 in the first quarter through five games, and Oregon has yet to allow a team to surpass 30 points in the first half or 60 points in a game. UO has trailed for only 1 minute and 54 seconds total so far this season and has yet to fall behind by more than three points. Oregon is averaging 89.4 PPG while allowing only 51.6 PPG for a plus-37.8 scoring margin, No. 5 in the nation entering the weekend.
Paopao Next in Graves' Line of Great Point Guards?
Few coaches have developed point guards as successfully as Kelly Graves, the mentor to the only two players ever to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 assists in Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot. With Ionescu's legendary career at an end and Minyon Moore gone after a terrific year as a grad transfer, Graves immediately turned to freshman Te-Hina Paopao, who he believes "has a chance a chance to be a real star." The first freshman to start a season opener for UO since Ionescu in 2016-17, Paopao enters the weekend leading the Pac-12 with 23 total assists against just eight turnovers, and she has scored in double figures in each of her first three career conference games. The Oceanside, Calif., native went 9-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep on Sunday at Oregon State for a career-best 22 points, putting together her first career 20-point performance in just 25 minutes of action. Paopao is 23-of-44 (.523) so far from the field while shooting an even 50.0 percent (10-of-20) from three-point range while starting each of the first five games.
Mikesell Off to Sizzling Start as a Duck
Taylor Mikesell established herself as one of the nation's top shooters in two seasons at Maryland, and the junior transfer has immediately lived up to the hype early in her Duck career. Mikesell poured in a career-high 28 points on a career-best 8-of-10 three-point shooting in the season opener vs. Seattle, and she is shooting a stellar 60.0 percent (18-of-30) from beyond the arc through five games, the top mark in the nation among players with at least 20 attempts. Mikesell went for 21 points on Sunday at Oregon State - her second 20-point game as a Duck and 11th of her career - while going 8-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range. Mikesell was huge in getting Oregon out to a double-digit lead after the first quarter, scoring 12 of Oregon's first 21 points while making four of her first five attempts from deep. "She's as good a shooter as I've ever coached," said head coach Kelly Graves.
Nyara Sabally Well Worth the Wait1?1? is an absolute ?????????????? ??
— Oregon Women's Basketball (@OregonWBB) December 16, 2020
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It's been a long two-plus years for Nyara Sabally - who lost the opportunity to play with her sister Satou Sabally after suffering knee injuries in each of her first two seasons as a Duck - but early on in 2020-21 it seems the 6-foot-5 forward was well worth the wait. Sabally led Oregon with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double in Oregon's win over Colorado to open Pac-12 play, going a perfect 9-of-9 from the floor to tie for the fifth-best shooting performance in UO single-game history. Sabally is a terrific 23-of-35 (.657) from the field for 10.6 PPG through her first five career games while leading the Ducks with 37 total rebounds (7.4 RPG), including a team-best 17 on the offensive end. "It hurt my heart my heart to not be on the court with my teammates," Sabally said after the Colorado game. "Now that I'm on the court, it's the best feeling ever."
Cracking Down Defensively
The Ducks have been one of the nation's premiere offensive teams ever since Kelly Graves arrived in Eugene, but 2019-20 saw Oregon rise to prominence on the defensive end as well. Led by Pac-12 all-defensive selection Minyon Moore, the Ducks improved from 135th nationally to 41st overall in scoring defense, allowing a single-season program low 57.9 points per game. Oregon has been terrific defensively so far in 2020-21, holding each of its first five opponents to less than 60 points and not letting a team get to 30 points in the first half to rank in the top 20 in the nation with just 51.6 PPG allowed. UO was especially tough defensively on Dec. 6 vs. Utah behind four blocks from Nyara Sabally, holding the Utes to 28.6 percent shooting while forcing 19 turnovers in an 85-43 win to tie for the fewest points Oregon has allowed in a conference game since 2008-09. "That was the story of the game," Kelly Graves said of the defensive effort.
Simple Plays
Oregon has been one of the nation's most explosive and efficient offenses under Kelly Graves, and the Ducks have done so by sharing and being smart with the basketball. UO has led the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio each of the last two seasons, with the duo of Minyon Moore and Sabrina Ionescu each ranking in the top five nationally last year as individuals. The new-look Ducks kept this trend going in the 2020-21 opener vs. Seattle with 22 total assists - including seven by freshman starter Te-Hina Paopao - while committing only three turnovers as a team. Oregon enters this weekend ranked fourth in the nation with a solid 1.82 assist-to-turnover ratio after dishing out 25 total assists on 32 total field goals against just seven turnovers on Sunday at OSU.
Up Next
Oregon will fly to Pullman following Saturday's game to close out the 2020 calendar year with an 11 a.m. PT showdown with Washington State on Monday (Pac-12 Network).
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