Ducks Face Another Ranked Big Ten Test

Tuesday, January 6

Los Angeles, CA

7 p.m.

University of Oregon

USC

The Oregon women's basketball team takes on Northwestern at Matthew Knight Arena on Jan. 1, 2026.

Photo by: GoDucks.com

01/05/26 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

UO faces third top-25 team in first four league games.

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team heads back on the road to take on its third top-25 team in its first four Big Ten games, as the Ducks visit No. 21 USC at Galen Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The Ducks earned their first conference win on New Year's Day with a dominant 87-54 victory over Northwestern at Matthew Knight Arena. USC suffered its first Big Ten loss on Saturday, falling to cross-town rival UCLA, 80-46.

Tuesday's tilt will be the 80th all-time meeting between Oregon and USC, going back to 1981. The Trojans lead the series 49-30 and have won four straight in the series.

GAME #17
Oregon (13-3, 1-2) at No. 21 USC (10-4, 2-1)
Tuesday, Jan. 6 | 7 p.m. | Galen Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
TV: Big Ten Network
Play-by-play: Elise Woodward | Analyst: Tammy Blackburn
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 2-2 Big Ten record, a 3-1 record in true road games and a 5-2 mark in all games away from home.
» Snap a four-game road skid in Big Ten games, going back to last season.
» Be Oregon's first over a top-25 team this season (currently 0-2).
» End a four-game losing streak to USC and be the first road win against the Trojans since Feb. 21, 2021.
» Give the Ducks a 31-49 record against the Trojans all-time.
» Be the 48th win over a ranked team under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves.
» Mark the first road win over a top-25 opponent since winning at then-No. 16 Michigan State on Jan. 30, 2025 (63-59).

LAST TIME OUT
The New Year brought with it the first Big Ten win of the season for the Oregon women's basketball team.

The Ducks used a balanced offensive effort while locking down Northwestern defensively to kick off 2026 with an 87-54 win at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday.

"It's the mark of a good basketball team, a team with character, to be able to bounce back after a tough loss like (Monday against Michigan)," said UO head coach Kelly Graves. "I thought tonight we made a statement. I was really proud of the way we played."

Katie Fiso paced the Ducks' offense with 17 points while Mia Jacobs added 16, scoring 13 in the third quarter alone. Sarah Rambus, coming off the bench for the first time this season, dropped a dozen points on 6-of-7 shooting. Ten different players scored at least four points for Oregon, who shot 51.7 percent from the floor on the afternoon.

SCOUTING USC
USC (10-4, 2-1) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end with an 80-46 loss at rival and fourth-ranked UCLA on Saturday, marking the Trojans first Big Ten loss. The Trojans have played seven games against top-25 teams on the season already, going 3-4 in those contests.

Freshman star Jazzy Davidson paces USC with her 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.8 steals a night. Davidson is joined by three other Trojans averaging in double figures: Londynn Jones (12.0 PPG), Kara Dunn (11.4) and Kennedy Smith (10.2).

USC is the Big Ten leader and fourth nationally averaging 7.1 blocks a game, while also leading the league in 3-point defense, with opponents shooting just 24.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Davidson has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season and is the conference leader in blocks per game, good for No. 9 nationally.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Tuesday's game will mark the 80th all-time meeting between Oregon and USC, as the rivalry dates all the way back to 1981. The Trojans lead the series 49-30, and have won four straight in meetings in the series after a 66-53 win in Eugene last season. The Ducks are 11-29 against USC in Los Angeles, last winning on Feb. 21, 2021 when the 13th-ranked Ducks earned a 72-48 victory. Head coach Kelly Graves is 13-6 against USC in his Oregon career, and won 12 consecutive games from Feb. 21, 2016 to Jan 1, 2023.

DUCKS VS. RANKED FOES
No. 21 USC will mark the third top-25 opponent the Ducks will face in their first four Big Ten games. UO suffered a 80-59 loss a No. 4 USC before its 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 47 ranked wins during his 12-year tenure in Eugene.

Against ranked teams this season, four players average double-figure points: Katie Fiso (19.0), Mia Jacobs (13.5), Ehis Etute (13.0 and Ari Long (10.0). Etute also adds 8.0 rebounds while Jacobs has a 53.3 field goal percentage in those contests. Fiso has averaged 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds while totaling four steals against top-25 opponents.

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 nine of 15 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 78.7 points per game ranks 36th 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 104.8 (points per 100 possessions) ranks 11th in the Big Ten while averaging 74.1 possessions per 40 minutes (fifth 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 47.1 is No. 26 in the country, with its 53.0 percent on two-point shots ranking 41st in the nation and 10th in the conference.
» Oregon ranks 39th in the country and 10th in the league with an effective field goal percentage of 52.6 percent.
» UO's 18.2 assists per game are good for 23rd nationally, posting an assisted shot rate of 62.2 percent (fourth in the Big Ten).
» The Ducks are third in the Big Ten and No. 25 in the country in free throw shooting (77.6 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 13 of 16 contests to start the season. The 13 games with 10 or more steals are tied for the third-most in the country, and behind only national leaders, while the 12 20-turnover games are tied for fifth-most nationally and three 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 fourth-most such games in the country and one 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.

» Oregon created at least 22 turnovers in three straight outings, forcing 29 vs. Utah State, 26 against Saint Mary's and 22 against Old Dominion. UO has two different stretches of at least three consecutive games with 22 or more forced turnovers.
» The Ducks are one of five teams with 12 games forcing a minimum of 22 turnovers, and the only team in the Big Ten.
» Over the last five games, teams have combined to shoot just 20-of-91 (22.0 percent) from behind the 3-point line.
» The Ducks' defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is 77.8, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 28th in the country.
» Oregon is recording a steal on 14.8 percent of opponent possessions, which is the third-highest rate in the Big Ten and 22nd-highest in the nation.

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 five 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 most in a game by any player in the Big Ten and tied for the fourth-most in any game this season.

» Fiso leads the Ducks with 15.3 points per game after averaging just 3.1 a game last season. Her increase of 12.2 points per game is the second-highest improvement from a season ago among Big Ten players (22nd-highest nationally).
» Fiso's five 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.
» 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 10 points-assists double-doubles in the Big Ten this season, with Fiso accounting for six of them and the only player with more than one.
» Six total double-doubles are most in the Big Ten lead and tied for 15th-most in the nation.
» Fiso is one of four 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 47.0 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 58-of-68 free throw attempts to rank ninth in the Big Ten at 85.3 percent.

» 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.
» Over her last five games, Jacobs is averaging a team-leading 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds.
» On Dec. 7 at UCLA, Jacobs eclipsed 1,500 points for her career and her 1,584 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' 34 made 3-pointers lead the team and are most among Big Ten forwards (No. 12 nationally among forwards).

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 13 blocks and ranks second in made 3-pointers (25) and third in steals (28), recording at least one steal in 14 of 16 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 47 of her 65 career games (72.3 percent), while finishing with multiple steals 26 times. Thirteen 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 36.8 percent from behind the 3-point line (25-of-68) and has drained multiple 3-pointers eight times. Her 15 points against Montana State on Dec. 14 tied her 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 14 players in the nation, to have at least 13 blocks while making at least 25 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 five of her last eight games, including setting a new career high in scoring in back-to-back games. Etute first turned in 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 nine points and hauled in 11 boards in the second half to help UO overcome a 14-point second-half deficit against the Tigers.

» Etute earned her second career start, and first of the season, against Northwestern on New Year's Day, finishing with six points and five rebounds over 14 minutes.
» 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 nine of 15 games in which she has played this season and has finished as the team leader 13 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 22.5 percent, the highest rate in the Big Ten and 11th-highest rate in the country among players averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game, with her offensive rebounding rate of 19.0 percent is 13th nationally among those players and second in Big Ten.

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 14 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 31 steals and ranks second on the team with 12 blocks. Her 12 blocks are tied for the fourth-most among Big Ten guards, while she is one of just two Big Ten guards with at least 12 blocks and 30 steals. She is part of a group of just 18 guards in the country with those numbers.

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 six 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 14 of 16 games this season, going 13-1 in those contests. The Ducks are 11-0 when leading at the half while winning two of five games when trailing at halftime. When holding an opponent below 70 points, UO is 12-1 this season while going 12-1 when scoring 60 points or more.

The Ducks have finished with more or the same number of assists 14 times, winning all but one of those contests, while going 13-1 when having more or the same number of steals. UO is unbeaten this season (11-0) when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent and 12-1 when scoring more fastbreak points.