No. 18 Oregon, Michigan State Meet Sunday

PORTLAND, Ore. — No. 18 Oregon and Michigan State will meet Sunday in the third-place game at the Phil Knight Invitational, with tip-off set for 10 a.m. PT on ESPN2 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Ducks (4-1) suffered their first loss of the season Thursday in the semifinal round to No. 8 North Carolina 85-79. Michigan State (6-1) also took its first defeat at the hands of No. 5 Iowa State in the other semifinal matchup 80-49.

Junior guard Te-Hina Paopao led the Ducks against the Tar Heels with a season-high 18 points while freshman forward Grace VanSlooten registered her first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

GAME #6
No. 18 Oregon (4-1) vs. Michigan State (6-1)
Sunday, Nov. 27 | 10 a.m. PT | Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Portland, Ore.)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM/590 AM)
Play-by-play: Terry Jonz
Listen Online | Live Stats

A WIN WOULD...
» Give the Ducks a third-place finish at the Phil Knight Invitational.
» Be head coach Kelly Graves' 195th win at Oregon.
» Be the Ducks' second win over a Power 5 team this season (Northwestern).
» Give Oregon a 3-1 edge in the all-time series with Michigan State.
» Mark UO's first win over the Spartans since Nov. 22, 2016, when the Ducks knocked off No. 24 MSU 88-55.
» Improve Oregon's record to 42-9 in the month of November under Graves.

NOVEMBER RAIN
Under head coach Kelly Graves, now in his ninth season, the Ducks are 41-9 in the month of November after starting the 2022-23 season at 4-1. Oregon has started 4-0 six times under Graves, and four times in the last five seasons, and seeks its fifth 5-1 start or better in the last nine seasons. In his eight previous season, he has gone undefeated in the month of November three times: 2-0 in 2020-21, 6-0 in 2018-19 and 6-0 in 2015-16.

In the month of November under Graves, the Ducks' offense is averaging 84.1 points per game with an average margin of victory of 23.2 points per game (allowing 60.9 points a game). In November, UO has reached the 100-point mark eight times, including this season's opener (100 vs. Northwestern).

FRESHMEN FROM THE LINE
Through five games this season, Oregon's freshman trio of Chance Gray, Jennah Isai and Grace VanSlooten is a combined 43-for-54 (79.6 percent) from the free throw line. Isai leads the team, going 17-for-20 from the stripe while Gray is 14-for-16 and VanSlooten is 12-for-18.

The trio has combined for 66.2 percent of the Ducks' free throws made (43-of-65) while Gray and Isai rank first and second, respectively, on the team in free throw shooting percentage. In the season opener, Isai went 9-for-10 from the line, which tied for the fifth-best free throw percentage by a freshman in a single game in program history. It marked the best free throw percentage by a freshman since Chrishae Row's 92.9 percent in 2014.

GVS
Grace VanSlooten is one of just four freshmen in the country averaging at least 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while ranking second among those four in field goal percentage at 50.9 percent. VanSlooten turned in her first career double-double against North Carolina Thursday, hauling in a season-best 11 boards while scoring 17 points. She has twice led the Ducks in scoring and rebounding through five games while scoring in double figures four times.

VanSlooten put up 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting in her collegiate debut against Northwestern, earning her the season's first Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor. Her award marked the Ducks' 30th league freshman-of-the-week award, which extends its Pac-12 record.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State (6-1) suffered its first loss of the season Thursday against No. 5 Iowa State, 80-49, in the other semifinal game of the Phil Knight Invitational. Against the Cyclones, MSU shot a season-low 28.3 percent from the field, including 2-for-18 from behind the 3-point line, while going 6-for-30 on field goal attempts in the first half.

The Spartans were led by 14 points from DeeDee Hagerman on 4-of-12 shooting (6-or-9 from the line). Kamaria McDaniel added 11 points and a team-best six rebounds. ISU owned a 42-28 advantage in points in the paint while Michigan State recorded seven assists on 17 made baskets. On the season, MSU's defense is forcing 24.1 turnovers a game - 10.0 more than the Spartans average per game.

Matilda Ekh, Michigan State's leading scorer at 11.2 points per game, missed the Spartans' matchup with Iowa State due to playing a game for the Swedish national team. McDaniel raised her season average to 10.7 points a game while also averaging 4.1 rebounds.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Sunday's matchup will mark the fourth meeting between Oregon and Michigan State, with the Ducks holding a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. UO claimed the series' first two matchups before the Spartans upset the then-third-ranked Ducks by a score of 88-82 in East Lansing on Dec. 9, 2018. The previous meeting saw the Ducks defeat No. 24 MSU 88-55 at Matthew Knight Arena on Nov. 22, 2016 and the teams first met in the WNIT semifinals, held in Eugene, with Oregon coming away with a 65-54 win on March 23, 2002.

The Spartans mark the third Power 5 team Oregon has faced and second straight after Thursday's loss against North Carolina, defeating Big Ten foe Northwestern 100-57 to begin the season.

PLAYMAKING PAOPAO
Junior guard Te-Hina Paopao has raked in the preseason honors ahead of the 2022-23 season. She was added to the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's in addition to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's Watch List, given annually to the nation's top female collegiate player.

Earlier in the preseason, Paopao was added to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list (nation's top point guard) while also being voted to the Pac-12's preseason team - both for the second straight season. The Oceanside, Calif., native has been an all-conference selection in each of her first two seasons in Eugene, and has career averages of 12.0 points per game, 3.6 rebounds a game and 3.8 assists per game.

Through five games this season, Paopao ranks third in the country with her 8.5 assist-to-turnover ratio (17 assists, 2 turnovers). She is also averaging a career-best 5.4 rebounds per game, hauling in at least six boards in three of five games this season. Paopao drained 7-of-10 field goals Monday night, the first 70-plus field goal percentage of any Duck this season, while going 3-for-3 beyond the arc.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Oregon has felt the impact of its four-member freshman class, which was ranked as the nation's second-best recruiting class by ESPNW. Grace VanSlooten, after a 20-point outing in her collegiate debut against Northwestern, was tabbed the season's first Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. She leads a trio of freshman Ducks who average at least 9.0 points per game, joined by Jennah Isai (11.8) and Chance Gray (9.8). VanSlooten, Gray and Isai make up two of UO's top four scorers, with Te-Hina Paopao ranking second at 13.8 points.

Freshmen account for 180 of Oregon's 418 points (43.1 percent) on the season and average a combined 36.0 points per game - more than any other class on the Ducks' roster.

VanSlooten also ranks second on the team with 7.2 rebounds per game while leading the Ducks with seven blocks. Isai, a guard, has racked up five blocks and is third behind Phillipina Kyei in blocks.

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