Midwest Swing Starts at No. 11 Iowa

Thursday, January 15

Iowa City, IA

6 p.m.

University of Oregon

Iowa

The Oregon women's basketball team takes on No. 15 Michigan State at Matthew Knight Arena on Jan. 11, 2026.

Photo by: GoDucks.com

01/14/26 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

Ducks visit No. 11 Hawkeyes on Thursday (6 p.m. PT, FS1).

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team makes its first Midwest Big Ten trip, beginning with a date at No. 11 Iowa on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes mark the third straight, and fifth top-25 opponent in the first six Big Ten games for the Ducks. Oregon and Iowa have split two all-time meetings after the Ducks overcame a 15-point deficit to come away with a 50-49 victory at Matthew Knight Arena last season.

GAME #19
Oregon (14-4, 2-3) at No. 11 Iowa (14-2, 5-0)
Thursday, Jan. 15 | 6 p.m. PT | Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
TV: FS1
Play-by-play: Kylen Mills| Analyst: Nikki Cardona-Hillary
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM | ESPN Portland 910 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

A WIN WOULD…
» Give Oregon a 3-3 Big Ten record, a 4-1 road record and a 6-2 record in all games away from home.
» Mark the Ducks' second consecutive road win over a ranked team.
» Be Oregon's second over a top-25 team this season (currently 1-3).
» Be the second straight win over the Hawkeyes and give UO a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
» Be the 49th win over a ranked team under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves.

LAST TIME OUT
Katie Fiso's jumper gave Oregon the lead with 4:49 to play, but No. 15 Michigan State scored the next six points and held off the UO women for an 85-81 victory Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.

A hot start from three-point range helped the Ducks lead by as much as 16, early in the second quarter. The Spartans battled back and led by seven late in the third, but Oregon turned it into a one-possession game for most of the fourth quarter before Michigan State's decisive surge in the last three minutes.

"That's a game we let get away," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "My fault; I think we made some 'we're tired' turnovers at the end, and I failed to give two of our players even a minute or two (of rest) in that second half. And I think a few of those turnovers late were fatigue turnovers. We just lost our composure, and that's unfortunate, because I thought we played a good basketball game overall."

SCOUTING IOWA
No. 11 Iowa (14-2, 5-0) has won four straight games, and five of its last six, and remains unbeaten in Big Ten play after picking up back-to-back road wins last week. The Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern on Jan. 5, 67-58, before coming away with a three-point win at Indiana on Sunday, 56-53.

Ava Heiden paces the Hawkeyes with 16.0 points per game, with Hannah Stuelke (13.5) and Chazadi Wright (13.1) also averaging double figures. Stuelke adds 8.5 rebounds per game while Heiden is next at 7.7 boards a night. Heiden ranks second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 63.0 percent from the floor.

As a team, Iowa leads the Big Ten with 29.9 defensive rebounds a game while ranking third in the conference and eighth in the nation with a rebounding margin of plus-11.9. Additionally, the Hawkeyes' 20.8 assists per game rank fifth in the country and rank 10th nationally with a 49.1 field goal percentage.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Oregon and Iowa have split the only two previous meetings between the teams, with the Ducks coming away with a 50-49 comeback victory a season ago at Matthew Knight Arena. UO trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half and overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Hawkeyes 28-17 in the second half. Thursday's game will be the first-ever matchup between the teams in Iowa City after the team's initial matchup occurred in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah.

DUCKS VS. RANKED FOES
No. 11 Iowa will mark the fifth top-25 opponent the Ducks will face in their first six Big Ten games - and fourth ranked inside the nation's top 15. UO picked up its first ranked win of the season on Jan. 6 at No. 21 USC, 71-66. The Ducks suffered a tightly contested 85-81 loss to No. 15 Michigan State on Jan. 11 as well as a double-overtime heartbreaking loss to sixth-ranked Michigan on Dec. 29, 92-87. The Ducks picked up two ranked wins a season ago, winning at 16th-ranked Michigan State on the road after defeating then-12th-ranked Baylor at home. Head coach Kelly Graves has led the Ducks to 48 ranked wins during his 12-year tenure in Eugene.

Against ranked teams this season, three players average double-figure points: Katie Fiso (18.0), Mia Jacobs (14.0) and Ehis Etute (13.5). Etute also adds 8.8 rebounds while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor. Jacobs is shooting at a 40.0 clip from the 3-point line goal in those contests and adds 4.8 rebounds. Fiso is averaging 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds while totaling eight steals against top-25 opponents. Oregon is outscoring ranked teams 84-55 in the fourth quarter while holding a plus-36 point differential in the second half overall.

OFF AND RUNNING
Oregon began the 2025-26 season 10-0 for just the third time in program history before suffering its first loss of the season on Dec. 7 at No. 4 UCLA. It marked the first 10-0 start since beginning the 2015-16 season 11-0, and the second 10-0 start or better under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves. The Ducks' 12-1 start was its best 13-game start since the 2019-20 season, and the third 12-1 start or better under Graves. UO's offense has scored 80 or more in 10 of 16 games, including five straight to being the season - its longest streak to begin a season since seven straight such games to open the 2019-20 season. UO's scoring offense of 78.4 points per game ranks 34th nationally and ninth in the Big Ten.

Seven different Ducks have led or tied for the team lead in scoring, with 11 different players producing a double-digit scoring performance. Four times this season five different players finished in double figures, most recently on Dec. 18 in win over Portland: Mia Jacobs (21), Amina Muhamad (12), Avary Cain (11), Sarah Rambus (11) and Katie Fiso (10). Five of the 11 players with a double-figure scoring game came off the bench (Avary Cain, Ehis Etute, Muhammad, Astera Tuhina and Janiyah Williams).

» Oregon's offensive rating of 104.4 (points per 100 possessions) ranks 10th in the Big Ten while averaging 74.2 possessions per 40 minutes (fourth in Big Ten). UO had an offensive rating of 96.0 with an average of 70.2 possessions per 40 minutes last year.
» UO's field goal percentage of 46.9 is No. 23 in the country, with its 52.5 percent on two-point shots ranking 10th in the conference.
» Oregon ranks 28th in the country and seventh in the league with an effective field goal percentage of 52.5 percent.
» The Ducks' bench put up 56 points against Old Dominion on Nov. 27, outscoring the Monarchs' entire team in an 84-46 win on the final day of the Hoopfest Women's Challenge.
» It was the second game with 40-plus points for UO's reserves, as they accounted for 47 of 90 points against Montana on Nov. 8 and fourth outing of at least 30 points (27.1 bench points per game ranks 50th in the nation).
» UO's 18.2 assists per game are good for 22nd nationally, posting an assisted shot rate of 62.5 percent (fifth in the Big Ten).
» The Ducks are second in the Big Ten and No. 14 in the country in free throw shooting (78.1 percent), while their 1.21 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 30th nationally.

STORM AND SWARM
Oregon's suffocating defense, a chief reason for Oregon's success a season ago, is back again this year. The Ducks have forced at least 20 turnovers 12 times and recorded double-digit steals in 14 of 18 contests to start the season. The 14 games with 10 or more steals are tied for the fifth-most in the country, and two shy of the national leaders, while the 12 20-turnover games are tied for 11th-most nationally and four games behind the nation's leaders. In 12 games this season, UO's defense has recorded double-digit steals while forcing 20 or more turnovers - tied for the eighth-most such games in the country and three games behind the nation's leaders.

Oregon forced a season-high 32 turnovers behind 24 steals against West Georgia in the season opener, its most steals in a game since 2013. Oregon's defense recorded 12 or more steals and forced at least 23 turnovers in four consecutive games to begin the season. UO turned in 10 or more steals in five consecutive games from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, matching the longest streak from a season ago. The four consecutive games with 20-plus turnovers to start the season marked its longest since eight straight such games during the 2010-11 season.

» The 14 games with double-digit steals are already tied for the second-most in a season under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves, and have matched last season's total. In 2019-20, the Ducks produced 15 such games.
» The Ducks are one of eight teams with 12 games forcing a minimum of 22 turnovers, and one of two teams in the Big Ten.
» Over the last seven games, teams have combined to shoot just 38-of-144 (26.3 percent) from behind the 3-point line.
» The Ducks' defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is 80.3, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 40th in the country.
» Oregon is recording a steal on 14.2 percent of opponent possessions, which is the fourth-highest rate in the Big Ten and 23rd-highest in the nation.
» Opposing teams are turning the ball over on 24.6 percent of its possessions, the fifth-best rate in the conference.

GO, FISO, GO
Sophomore point guard Katie Fiso has stepped into the Ducks' lead guard spot this season, as she takes over after the departures of graduate guards Deja Kelly and Peyton Scott. Fiso, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington her senior season, got her first career start in the season opener against West Georgia on Nov. 3 and turned in her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists - without a turnover. She produced her first 20-point scoring effort while handing out 10 assists against Grand Canyon on Nov. 11 and has since recorded points-assists double-doubles against Army (12 points, 10 assists), Saint Mary's (15 points, 10 assists), Oregon State (23 points, 14 assists) and Portland (10 points, 11 assists). She matched her career-high scoring effort with 24 points against No. 6 Michigan and now owns a team-best six 20-point games this season.

Against Oregon State on Dec. 3, Fiso turned in one of the best games of her career with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go with a career-high 14 assists. Her 14 assists equaled the second-highest assist total in a game in program history, and were three shy of Sabrina Ionescu's record of 17 set in 2018. The 14 assists are tied for the second-most in a game by any player in the Big Ten, while there have been just 10 games nationally this season where someone produced at least 14 assists.

» Fiso leads the Ducks with 15.5 points per game after averaging just 3.1 a game last season. Her increase of 12.4 points per game is the highest improvement from a season ago among Big Ten players (16th-highest nationally).
» Fiso's six 20-point games are tied for sixth-most in the league among Big Ten guards.
» Against the Wolverines, she scored 22 of her career-high-tying 24 points in the second half and both overtime periods.
» Over the last five games, Fiso has scored 59 of her 89 points after halftime - good for 66.2 percent of her scoring.
» She is averaging 11.8 points in the second halves and overtime periods while averaging 17.8 points per game overall over her last five contests.
» Her six points-assists double-doubles this season lead the nation, while only 13 players in the country have multiple points-assists double-doubles.
» There have been 11 points-assists double-doubles in the Big Ten this season, with Fiso accounting for six of them and the only player with more than two.
» Six total double-doubles are tied for the most in the Big Ten and tied for 36th-most in the nation.
» Turned in the first 20-point, 10-assist double-double by a Duck since Sabrina Ionescu had 20 points and 12 assists against Stanford on March 8, 2020.
» First Duck with multiple points-assists double-doubles in a season since Ionescu during the 2019-20 campaign (17).
» Her and Ionescu are the only two Ducks since at least 1999 to have a minimum of four points-assists double-doubles in a season.
» First Duck with 10-plus assists without a turnover since Minyon Moore did so at USC on Feb. 16, 2020, and first Duck since Ionescu on Feb. 1, 2020 with a point-assists double-double without committing a turnover.
» Led (or tied) UO in assists in all 18 outings this season and ranks second in the Big Ten at 7.2 assists a night (10th nationally).
» On Dec. 8, Fiso earned her second selection to the Big Ten's weekly honor roll after averaging 18.5 points and 10.5 assists.
» Fiso is one of two players in the country averaging at least 7.0 assists and shooting 50.0 percent or better from the floor, and the only player in the Big Ten.

MAMA MIA
Senior forward Mia Jacobs, a Fresno State transfer, has made an immediate impact for the Ducks on the young season. She ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor. Jacobs finished as the team's leading scorer in three of the first four games to begin the season, including a season-high 26 points in UO's 84-66 win over Grand Canyon on Nov. 11. It marked the highest scoring performance by a Duck since Te-Hina Paopao scored 28 points against Stanford on March 2, 2023. Additionally, she has connected on 63-of-73 free throw attempts to rank 10th in the Big Ten at 86.3 percent.

» Jacobs has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games, the longest such streak of her career. Additionally, she has hit at least one 3-pointer in nine straight contests while knocking down multiple triples eight times in that span.
» Jacobs produced a double-double in three consecutive games from Dec. 14-21 - the first double-doubles of the season after recording 19 a season ago while at Fresno State.
» Jacobs turned in her first double-double against Montana State on Dec. 14 with 13 points and 10 rebounds before scoring 21 points with 10 boards against Portland on Dec. 18.
» On Dec. 21 against Stanford at Chase Center, Jacobs grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds while scoring 11 points.
» On Dec. 7 at UCLA, Jacobs eclipsed 1,500 points for her career and her 1,613 points rank 27th among all active players and fifth-most among active players in the Big Ten.
» She is second on the team with four 20-point outings after scoring 21 points against Portland, her 24th career 20-point effort.
» Jacobs drilled a season-high five 3-pointers against Washington State on Nov. 19 on her way to her second 20-point outing of the season, going 4-for-5 from range in the second half of UO's 86-59 victory.
» Jacobs' 38 made 3-pointers lead the team and are second-most among Big Ten forwards (T-No. 11 nationally among forwards).
» She went 12-of-13 from the free throw line against GCU, marking the most made free throws by a Duck since Sabrina Ionescu made 17 against Mississippi State on Dec. 18, 2018.
» Her free throw percentage of 86.3 is fifth-best in the nation among forwards with at least 50 made free throws and second in the Big Ten.

RING THE BELL
Junior guard Sofia Bell is a phenom on the court and in the classroom. Bell earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon after only two years and is already enrolled in an MBA program at UO. On the basketball court, she is a disruptor to opposing offenses and has developed into a knock-down 3-point shooter. The 6-foot Bell leads the team with 14 blocks and ranks second in made 3-pointers (33) and third in steals (30), recording at least one steal in 16 of 18 games this season with multiple steals in 10 contests. On Dec. 7 at UCLA, she saw her career-best 13 stretch of consecutive games with a steal come to an end, dating back to last season. Bell has registered at least one theft in 49 of her 67 career games (73.1 percent), while finishing with multiple steals 26 times. Fourteen of her 30 career blocks have come this season after having just three over 28 games last year.

On the offensive end, she is shooting 39.8 percent from behind the 3-point line (33-of-73) and had a career day against No. 15 Michigan State on Jan. 11, going 6-of-8 from downtown on her way to a career-high 18 points. Bell went 4-for-4 from the deep in the first quarter against the Spartans on her way to a career best six made 3-pointers, her 10th game this season with multiple 3-pointers. Her 15 points against Montana State on Dec. 14 tied her then-career high and marked the first time in her career she led the Ducks in scoring, becoming the seventh different player to lead UO in points this season. Bell is the only player in the Big Ten, and one of just 12 players in the nation, to have at least 14 blocks while making at least 33 3-pointers.

EHIS THE BEAST
Sophomore F Ehis Etute has begun to tap into her raw potential in her second season in Eugene. The Luxembourg product has scored in double figures in seven of her last 10 games, logging a career-best 17 points to go with 13 boards at No. 21 USC on Jan. 6. Etute turned in a then-career-high 15 points to go with eight rebounds against Old Dominion on Thanksgiving Day before a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double off the bench at Auburn on Nov. 30. It marked Etute's first double-double of her career while grabbing a career high in rebounds, going 7-of-10 from the floor. She scored 13 points and hauled in seven rebounds in the Ducks' comeback victory against the Trojans.

» Etute has started each of the last three games, her first starts of the season, after making one start during her freshman season.
» Her 17-point, 13-rebound performance at USC marked the second double-double of her career - both coming this season.
» Over a four-game stretch from Nov. 27 to Dec. 14 , Etute averaged 13.3 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 55.9 percent from the field. She averaged 22.4 minutes off the bench in that stretch, the third-most minutes of anyone on the team.
» Etute has led UO in rebounding in 11 of 17 games in which she has played this season and has finished as the team leader 15 times in her career.
» Against Washington State on Nov. 19, she hauled in 13 rebounds for her first 10-rebound effort, with eight coming on the offensive end - the second-best total by any player in the Big Ten this season.
» Etute boasts a total rebounding rate of 21.5 percent, the second-highest rate in the Big Ten and 19th-highest rate in the country among players averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game, with her offensive rebounding rate of 19.2 percent is tops in the Big Ten and ninth nationally among those players.

THE LONG GAME
Junior guard Ari Long has cracked the starting lineup for the first time in her career this season, starting each of the last 16 games in place of the injured Elisa Mevius, who will miss the season due to a knee injury. Long, standing at 6-foot, leads the Ducks with 35 steals and ranks second on the team with 12 blocks. Her 12 blocks are tied for the sixth-most among Big Ten guards, while she is one of just two Big Ten guards with at least 12 blocks and 35 steals. She is part of a group of just 19 guards in the country with those numbers.

» Against No. 21 USC on Jan. 6, she knocked down three 3-pointers over the game's final three minutes to help Oregon complete a 17-point comeback and come away with a 71-66 victory.
» With UO trailing 66-60 with under three minutes to play, Long connected from deep range on consecutive trips to tie the game before knocking down the go-ahead triple with just over 30 seconds remaining.
» Long recorded four steals against Portland on Dec. 18, her second four-steal game of the season, after she registered a career-high three blocks against Montana State in the previous game.
» Long has led or tied for the team lead in steals seven times this season while pacing the team in blocks six times.

NOTES & TRENDS
Oregon shot at a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 16 of 18 games this season, going 14-2 in those contests. The Ducks are 11-0 when leading at the half while winning three of seven games when trailing at halftime. When holding an opponent below 70 points, UO is 13-1 this season while going 13-2 when scoring 60 points or more.

The Ducks have finished with more or the same number of assists 16 times, winning all but two of those contests, while going 14-1 when having more or the same number of steals. UO is unbeaten this season (12-0) when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent and 12-2 when scoring more fastbreak points.