No. 21 Ducks Close Weekend with Cougars

EUGENE, Ore. — No. 21 Oregon seeks a weekend series sweep Sunday, as Washington State visits Matthew Knight Arena for a noon PT tipoff on Pac-12 Oregon.

The Ducks fended off a pesky Washington squad, 65-58, Friday night, getting 16 points from Te-Hina Paopao and 15 off the bench from Taya Hanson. Hanson led UO by going 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point line, hitting a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to give the Ducks a six-point lead.

Oregon owns a 71-19 series lead against Washington State and is looking for its ninth straight win against the Cougars. UO claimed the only meeting a season ago, 83-30, in Pullman. WSU defeated Oregon State Friday,

Prior to Sunday's game, fans 12 and under with a game ticket are encouraged to attend a free pregame clinic to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sport Day. The clinic will begin at 10:45 a.m. at the practice courts inside Matthew Knight Arena. For more information, visit GoDucks.com/NGWSD.

GAME #18
No. 21 Oregon (13-4, 4-2) vs. Washington State (12-4, 2-3)
Sunday, Jan. 15 | 12 p.m. PT | Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, Ore.)
TV: Pac-12 Oregon
Play-by-play: Ann Schatz | Analyst: Anthony Levrets
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM/590 AM)
Play-by-play: Terry Jonz | Analyst: Bev Smith
Listen Online | Live Stats

AT A GLANCE
Oregon seeks its first 2-0 conference weekend Sunday, as the Ducks host Washington State at noon on Pac-12 Oregon. Oregon took down Washington for the 10th straight time Friday, 65-58, at Matthew Knight Arena.

Both UO and WSU are looking for a weekend sweep after the Cougars' 63-56 victory at Oregon State Friday night. The Ducks are 71-19 all-time against Washington State, winning the last eight in the series after an 83-30 win in Pullman a season ago. Oregon's 71 wins against the Cougars are the program's most against a single opponent.

LAST TIME OUT
The Ducks grinded out a 65-58 win over Washington Friday night, getting a game-high 16 points from Te-Hina Paopao. Senior Taya Hanson added 15 off the bench, going 4-for-4 from 3-point range, including a clutch 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining to give UO a 60-54 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Oregon shot 58.3 percent from the field after entering the final stanza with a 36.4 field goal percentage. The Ducks led by 10 with 8:31 to go, but the Huskies clawed back to take a 52-51 lead with just 4:39 left in the game.

Six unanswered points, to go with Hanson's 3-pointer, helped UO thwart Washington's upset bid. The Ducks connected on 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute.

Grace VanSlooten added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting while grabbing even rebounds. Phillipina Kyei led all players with nine rebounds, snapping a stretch of eight straight games with 10 or more rebounds.

SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State has won two straight games, and five of its last seven, after a 63-56 win at Oregon State Friday night. In the win, WSU outscored the Beavers 34-24 in the second half and got a game-high 17 points from Tara Wallack. Wallack led four Cougars in double figures, with Charlisse Leger-Walker adding 14.

Leger-Walker continues to lead the Pac-12 in scoring at 20.9 per game while shooting 47.7 percent. She also is averaging a league-best 26.7 points a game during conference games, coming at a 47.8 percent clip.

Bella Murekatete leads WSU and is ninth in the Pac-12 at 7.4 rebounds per game. As a team, the Cougars average a league-low 36.3 rebounds a game.

Defensively, Washington State is one of just four teams in the Pac-12 allowing under 30.0 percent from behind the 3-point line (29.6 percent). WSU ranks third with 5.0 blocks per game, led by 1.6 a game from Tara Wallack.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Sunday's matchup will be the 91st meeting in the series history between Oregon and Washington State, with the Ducks holding a 71-19 dating back to 1974. The Ducks have won eight straight meetings against the Cougars going back to the 2017-18 season, their fourth-longest winning streak in the series. At home, UO is 35-8 with a 7-3 record at Matthew Knight Arena.

Head coach Kelly Graves is 11-3 against WSU in his Oregon career. Including Sunday's game, the Ducks have been ranked in the top 25 in eight straight matchups. The 71 victories mark the most wins by Oregon against a single opponent.

THE "O" STANDS FOR OFFENSE
Oregon's 112.2 offensive efficiency rating (points per 100 possessions) is the sixth-highest mark in the country and third-best in the Pac-12 behind only Stanford (115.8) and Utah (115.0). The Ducks' 80.6 points per game rank as the 16th-best mark in the country and third-highest in the conference.

UO has scored at least 75 points in 11 of 17 outings while reaching the 90-point mark four times. Under ninth-year head coach Kelly Graves, the Ducks are 52-0 when scoring at least 90 points. This season, Oregon is 4-0 when reaching the 90-point plateau, surpassing the total number of 90-point efforts during the 2021-22 and 2020-21 seasons (three times each). At Matthew Knight Arena this season, the Ducks are averaging 81.8 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from behind the arc.

NUGGETS AND TRENDS
This season, Oregon averages just 11.0 turnovers per game in victories while turning the ball over 18.3 times per game over four losses. When the Ducks have 15 or more turnovers, they are 2-4 while all four of UO's losses have come to teams ranked in the top 15.

In its 13 victories, Oregon is shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range while averaging 9.0 3-point field goals. Defensively, the Ducks are holding teams to 26.7 percent and 5.5 made 3-pointers. In defeats, the Ducks are shooting just 28.1 percent from behind the arc and their average made 3-pointers drops to 6.3 while opponents are making 9.5 3-pointers a game at a 44.7 percent clip.

Through 10 games, UO's perimeter defense suppressed opponents to just 24.0 percent from 3-point range (4.8 made 3-pointers per game). Over the previous six games before holding Washington to 13.3 percent, UO allowed teams to shoot a combined 43.4 3-point percent on 9.8 3-pointers.