Pac-12 Title Defense Begins Friday

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon women's basketball team's quest for a fourth straight Pac-12 regular-season title begins this weekend as the No. 10 ranked Ducks open the 22-game conference schedule on Friday afternoon against Colorado in Matthew Knight Arena.

Oregon - which enters league play having tied the program record with 21 straight wins dating back to last season - is off to a 2-0 start in 2020-21 following a 116-51 season-opening win over Seattle last Saturday and an 85-52 win at Portland on Monday. The Ducks claimed their third straight Pac-12 regular-season championship in 2019-20, joining Stanford as the only programs ever to win three or more consecutive conference titles.

"I think we're ready," senior Erin Boley said of starting conference play following Monday's win at Portland. "We're excited for it. We improved from last game, and we'll improve from this game we played today. It's going to be a challenge, but we're ready for it."

Game Details
Matchup: #10 Oregon (2-0) vs. Colorado (2-0)
Date: Friday, December 4, 2020
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Venue: Matthew Knight Arena
Opening Tip: 2:06 p.m. PT

Broadcast Information
TV: Pac-12 Network
pac-12.com/live
PxP: Ann Schatz | Analyst: Elise Woodward

Radio: Oregon Sports Network
Eugene: KUGN 590 AM | Portland: KDZR 1640 AM
PXP: Terry Jonz | Analyst: Bev Smith

By The Numbers
13 - All 13 players on Oregon's roster have played in each of the first two games, with 12 different Ducks scoring on Monday.
19 - The Ducks enter Friday's game having won 19 straight home games, tying the program record (1998-2000).
21 - Oregon has tied the program record (1978-79) with 21 straight wins dating back to last season.
25 - Erin Boley led UO with 25 points on Monday at Portland while tying career-highs with 11 made field goals and nine rebounds.
28 - Taylor Mikesell scored a career-high 28 points in her first game as a Duck and is 11-of-16 (.688) from deep through two contests.
116 - Oregon's 116 points last Saturday were the most in a season opener since 2013-14, and the third-most in the nation so far this season.

The Oregon Ducks take on the Seattle Red Hawks at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon on November 28, 2020 (Eric Evans Photography)

The Oregon Ducks take on the Seattle Red Hawks at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon on November 28, 2020 (Eric Evans Photography)

A Win Would...
» Set a new Oregon record with the program's 22nd straight win dating back to last season, breaking the previous mark set way back in 1978-79.
» Be the Ducks' 20th home win in a row, breaking the program record set from 1998 to 2000.
» Improve Oregon to 51-2 in MKA since the start of 2017-18.
» Be UO's sixth straight over Colorado and fourth straight in a conference opener.
» Get Oregon off to a 3-0 start for the sixth year in a row.

Boley Expanding Game As Lone Returning Starter
Senior Erin Boley is the lone returning starter on a young Oregon team that is tasked with replacing four starters from last year - including three WNBA top-10 picks in Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard - and Boley is looking to prove she can do more than just shoot the three in her final season. Arguably the nation's most lethal shooter from deep, Boley led Oregon with 25 points in Monday's win at Portland while tying her career-high with 11 field goals, only two of which came from beyond the arc. Boley was also more aggressive on the boards, tying her career-high with nine rebounds, including five on the offensive end. "I'm really proud of her," Kelly Graves said Monday. "She's been our best player, and it showed tonight."

Mikesell Off Sizzling Start As A Duck
Taylor Mikesell was billed as one of the nation's top shooters when she decided to transfer to Oregon from Maryland over the offseason, and the junior has lived up to the hype in he first two games as a Duck. 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 leads Oregon with 19.5 PPG while shooting .688 (11-of-16) from deep through two games. Mikesell made seven straight triples against Seattle after missing her first attempt to finish the first half with 21 points on 7-of-8 three-point shooting, and she enters her first weekend of Pac-12 play needing four field goals to surpass 300 in her career and four three-pointers to reach 200 total. "She's as good a shooter as I've ever coached," head coach Kelly Graves said after Mikesell's 28-point debut.

The Oregon Ducks take on the Seattle Red Hawks at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon on November 28, 2020 (Eric Evans Photography)

Prince, Sabally Make Long-Awaited Debuts
Anticipation for the start of the 2020-21 season following a long layoff due to COVID-19 was high for everyone, but getting back on the court held extra significance for redshirt sophomores Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally. Both Ducks have appeared in their first two collegiate games following layoffs of more than two years, with Prince starting both games and averaging 15.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 19.0 MPG and Sabally logging 9.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 15.0 MPG. Prince - a preseason all-Pac-12 selection - missed her freshman year with an injury and then was forced to sit out 2019-20 after transferring to Oregon from Texas, while Sabally - the younger sister of Satou Sabally - has suffered knee injuries each of the last two years. "They performed really well," Kelly Graves said after their collegiate debuts. "They're going to be a dynamic duo. We played them a little bit together; not a ton. But they'll be a combination we play more and more together."

Fab Five Era Begins in Eugene
The Ducks reloaded this year's roster with the first top-ranked recruiting class in program history, bringing in five top-25 players who were all Gatorade state players of the year and McDonalds all-Americans. Oregon's "Fab Five" made its debut last Saturday vs. Seattle - even getting on the floor as an entire unit for a few minutes - and has combined for 43 points, 29 rebounds and 18 assists so far through two games. Te-Hina Paopao has started both games at point guard - becoming the first UO freshman to start a season opener since Sabrina Ionescu in 2016-17 - and has run the offense with a team-best 12 assists against just two turnovers. Maddie Scherr (5.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG) and Sydney Parrish (7.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG) have joined Paopao in the competition for playing time at guard, while Angela Dugalic (3.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG) and Kylee Watson (1.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG) provide versatility and depth in the post.

New-Look Ducks Off And Running
The Ducks look quite different from recent years with seven newcomers and two redshirts joining just four returners from last season's 31-2 squad, but the revamped Oregon roster looked just as explosive in last Saturday's 2020-21 opener. Led by 21 points on 7-of-8 three-point shooting in the first 15 minutes alone from junior transfer Taylor Mikesell, the Ducks erupted for 71 first-half points to set a new program record for points in a single half before finishing with 116, the most in a season opener since 2013-14 and the third-most by any team in the nation so far this season. Oregon is averaging 100.5 PPG through two contests despite shooting just 33.3 percent (17-of-51) from three-point range so far as a team.

Up Next
Oregon will host Utah on Sunday in MKA at 11 a.m. PT on Pac-12 Network. Tuesday's home game against Portland State has been postponed, so the Ducks' next scheduled home game after Sunday is December 13 at Oregon State.