UO Finishes Noncon Slate at Trailblazer Classic

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Oregon finishes its nonconference schedule at the inaugural Trailblazer Classic, hosted by Utah Tech. The Ducks begin the three-team tournament Tuesday against the Trailblazers at 1 p.m. PT at Burns Arena.

GAME #12
Oregon (8-3) at Utah Tech (6-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 19 | 1 p.m. PT | Burns Arena (St. George, Utah)
TV/Online: ESPN+
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (Eugene: KUGN 98.1 | Portland: KDZR 1640 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

AT A GLANCE
After a four-game homestand, Oregon heads to St. George, Utah, for its final two nonconference tilts at the Trailblazer Classic. The Ducks will take on host Utah Tech on Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT before facing Oklahoma State Thursday at 1 p.m.

UO seeks to extend its season-long winning streak to five games after going unbeaten during its homestand.

Oregon and Utah Tech have just one previous meeting, an 84-35 on Nov. 14, 2021 at Matthew Knight Arena.

LAST TIME OUT
Oregon pushed its winning streak to four games with a 61-48 victory over UTSA Sunday, giving head coach Kelly Graves his 600th Division I victory. Graves is the 19th active head coach to reach the 600-win milestone and second among active Pac-12 coaches.

In the win, Grace VanSlooten turned in a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double while Chance Gray scored a team-high 14 points. Priscilla Williams made her season debut and added 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

Williams was awaiting a decision from the NCAA on her two-time transfer waiver, but a federal court issued a ruling that allowed two-time transfer immediate eligibility for the short term.

The Ducks limited the Roadrunners to 26 percent shooting from the field and 11 percent from the 3-point line (2-for-18) while tallying 11 steals and 13 blocked shots.

SCOUTING UTAH TECH
Utah Tech (6-4), host of this week's Trailblazer Classic, snapped a two-game losing skid Saturday with a 110-35 victory over Bethesda at Burns Arena. The 75-point margin of victory broke a program record that stood for nearly 15 years - 16 points more than the previous mark of plus-59.

The Trailblazers lead the WAC in both scoring (78.7 points per game) and field goal shooting (45.4 percent) while ranking second in 3-point shooting (30.0). Utah Tech averages 11.0 made 3-pointers a game, led by Macie Warren who shoots a team-high 50.0 percent from behind the 3-point line (26-for-52).

Warren (16.1) is one of four Trailblazers who average double-digit points. Breaunna Gillen leads the team at 16.2 points per game while Maddie Warren averages 15.7 and Maggie McCord adds 10.4.

Utah Tech was picked fourth in the WAC's preseason coaches poll while Gillen was the lone Trailblazer selected to the five-member preseason all-WAC team.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Oregon and Utah Tech will meet for just the second time Tuesday, and first since the Trailblazers visited Matthew Knight Arena on Nov. 14, 2021. In the series' first matchup, the Ducks defeated Utah Tech (then Dixie State), 84-35. UO was ranked 10th nationally at the time of the matchup. The Trailblazers mark the second opponent from the WAC on Oregon's schedule, as the Ducks visited Grand Canyon on Nov. 16 and earned a 64-56 victory.

THE DUCKS' NEW BIG THREE
Oregon's top returning trio of Chance Gray, Phillipina Kyei and Grace VanSlooten helped the Ducks snap a two-game losing skid with four straight home wins over a nine-game span. Against Idaho on Dec. 8, the three accounted for 53 of UO's 59 points in an eight-point victory. The following afternoon, they again combined for 53 total points in a 65-54 win over Portland State. In that 24-hour span, they have scored 106 of Oregon's 124 total points - or 85.4 percent of the team's total offense. The three were the only Ducks to score in double figures in a 67-37 win over Southern on Dec. 11, combining for 46 points. Gray finished with a team-leading 14 points against UTSA on Sunday while VanSlooten turned in a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

» Over the last four games, Gray, Kyei and VanSlooten have combined to score 183 (45.8 PPG) of Oregon's 252 total points - or 72.6 percent. The trio accounted for 152 points of 191 points over three games from Dec. 8-11.
» Gray finished with a game-high 20 points against Idaho, her second 20-point outing of the season and fourth of her career.
» Kyei was a force in all four contests, scoring a career-high 20 points against Portland State and hauling in a career-high 21 rebounds against the Jaguars.
» Kyei extended her streak to four straight double-doubles against Southern, a career-long streak, while upping her season total to eight to lead the Pac-12.
» VanSlooten was consistent across the four wins, scoring at least 10 in all four contests with 17 against Idaho, 18 against the Vikings and 15 in just three quarters against Southern.
» VanSlooten scored 16 of her 18 in the second half against PSU, hitting on 6-of-13 shots from the field.
» On the season, the three are responsible for 462 of the Ducks' 720 points (64%), or 42.0 points per game.

MR. 600
Head coach Kelly Graves collected win No. 600 at the Division I level Sunday. He is just the 19th active head coach to reach the milestone and second among active Pac-12 coaches (Tara VanDerveer, Stanford). Graves owns 19 20-win seasons over 26 completed seasons as a head coach, and has picked up 218 wins over nine-plus seasons at Oregon.

CLOSING TIME
Oregon has been at its best when it counts this season, averaging 18.7 points per game in the fourth quarter - the most of any quarter on the season. The Ducks have a plus-40 scoring margin in the fourth quarter, 18 points more than any quarter, and hold a plus-62 scoring differential in the second half compared to a plus-six differential in the first halves of games. As a team, UO has a higher field goal percentage (43.8%), 3-point percentage (32.6%) and free throw percentage (81.7%) in the fourth quarter than overall for the season.

» The Ducks have outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter in seven of 11 games, including each of the last four.
» Leading by just four headed into the fourth quarter against Idaho on Dec. 8, Chance Gray went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line over the game's final 3:22 to help stave off Idaho.
» Gray knocked down all five of UO's 3-pointers against PSU, including four in the fourth quarter and three coming on consecutive trips down the floor to help seal the victory.
» In the last five minutes of games, the Ducks shoot 88.6 percent from the free throw line (39-for-44) while Gray is a percent 18-for-18 from the stripe.

PHEED PHILLI
Junior center Phillipina Kyei, the tallest player in Oregon history, has turned in a double-double in eight of Oregon's first 11 games this season to lead the Pac-12 while being tied for the second-most in the nation. Kyei produced a double-double in four straight games, the longest such streak of her career, from Dec. 3-11. She scored a career-high 21 rebounds to go with 16 points against Southern to up her career total to 16 double-doubles, moving her into 14th in program history. She is just the 23rd player in UO history with at least 10 career double-doubles.

» Kyei is tied for the Pac-12 lead and ranks fourth in the country at 12.1 rebounds per game, while her 8.2 defensive rebounds per game ranks sixth and her 3.9 offensive boards a game is 22nd.
» Kyei has 16 double-doubles in just 73 career games, the fewest number of any Duck with at least 13 double-doubles.
» Kyei is one of four players in the Pac-12 averaging at least 10 points and 10 rebounds, while her eight double-doubles lead the conference.
» Oregon is 14-2 when Kyei records a double-double and 16-3 when she scores at least 10 points.
» 32 career games with 10 or more rebounds, with 27 coming since the start of last season.
» Scored a career-high 20 points against Portland State, and six of her seven career games with at least 15 points have come this season.
» Kyei has led Oregon is scoring four times in her career, with three coming this season (Baylor, Portland State, Southern).
» Double-digit rebounds in 10 of her last 14 games, dating back to last season.
» Surpassed the 500-rebound mark at GCU and her 597 career rebounds ranks seventh among active players in the Pac-12.
» Since the start of last season, Kyei is averaging 11.1 rebounds and 8.3 points per game.

CAN'T SPELL DUCKS WITH D
Through 11 games this season, Oregon has made life difficult for its opponents on the offensive end. The Ducks have limited teams to a combined 34.4 percent shooting from the field - and held their opponent below 37.0 percent shooting in each of its eight wins. Additionally, UO opponents have combined to shoot just 28.0 percent from beyond the 3-point line, while the Ducks held teams to just 22.5 percent through the season's first three games.

» Over the last two games, opponents have combined to shoot just 3-for-33 (9.0%) from the 3-point line.
» The Ducks have held teams below 55 points in each of its last four games, including each of the last two under 50.
» UO picked up a season-high 13 blocks while tallying 11 steals against UTSA Sunday. The 13 blocks marked the most since swatting 14 shot attempts against Idaho State on Dec. 15, 2005.
» It was the Ducks' first game with at least 10 blocks and steals in the same game since Dec. 13, 2021 vs. McNeese (18 blocks, 11 steals), and just the sixth time since 2010.
» Oregon limited Nevada to a season-low 24.0 field goal percentage, holding the Wolf Pack to 5-for-39 (12.8%) in the second half.
» In its eight victories, UO has held its opponents to a combined 22.0 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 29.6 percent from the floor overall.
» Eighth in the country and third in the Pac-12 with 32.0 defensive rebounds per game.
» Despite the loss, Oregon held 13th-ranked Baylor to season lows in points (71) and field goal percentage (39.4%) at Ferrell Center on Dec. 3. The Bears entered the contest averaging 92.0 points (sixth in the country) while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor.
» Opponents are attempting just 8.6 free throws per game and making 5.7 free throws per game, both the second-lowest rates in the country.

DUCK DEBUT TO REMEMBER
Priscilla Williams made her long-awaited Oregon debut on Sunday against UTSA. The redshirt sophomore guard was awaiting a decision from the NCAA after submitting a waiver that would allow her to play despite being a two-time transfer (Syracuse, South Florida). A federal court issued a ruling that allows all two-time transfers immediate eligibility, for the time being.

Williams wasted no time making her impact felt, hitting her first field goal attempt, a 3-pointer in the first quarter, on her way to 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench. It marked her first double-digit scoring effort in exactly one year, as her last came against La Salle while at USF. Williams brings length and 3-point shooting ability, something the Ducks have been without since starting point guard Peyton Scott went down with a season-ending injury in the season opener.