Oregon Women Home for Arizona Schools at Mac Court
THIS WEEK
The Ducks (13-9, 4-8) are home for the second to last time this season, hosting the Arizona schools at McArthur Court. Oregon plays Arizona on Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by Arizona State on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The game against the Sun Devils will be televised on FSN.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE
Oregon’s home practice schedule this week is as follows:
Tue., Feb. 7, 1-4 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 8, 1:30-4 p.m.
Thu., Feb. 9, 1:30-3 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 10, Off
Sat., Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Practices at McArthur Court are open to the media and interviews may be conducted at the conclusion of each session. Please contact Andy McNamara (541-346-2253) if you plan on attending. All times are subject to change.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Arizona (7-16, 3-10) had one of its best outings all season against USC on Feb. 2, but could not hang on for the win, as the Women of Troy handed UA a 73-72 loss in Tucson. The Wildcats were also defeated by UCLA on Feb. 4 by a score of 90-64, extending UA’s losing streak to four games. SR G Natalie Jones had consecutive 22-point games last week on 7-of-13 shooting against USC and 8-of-10 shooting against UCLA. Jones also grabbed 12 rebounds in Thursday’s game to secure her third double-double of the season. FR G Kelsey Burns logged some solid minutes this past week after UA suffered yet another injury as SO G Jessica Arnold went out with a concussion in practice early in the week. Burns notched 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting against the Bruins, including a 3-for-6 mark from three-point range. The team picked up 16 steals on the weekend and now averages 9.13 per game to rank fifth in the conference.
All-Time Series: UO leads 21-18
Last Meeting: UA 81-72 (OT), Jan. 14, 2006, in Tucson.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
No. 16 Arizona State (18-5, 9-4) picked up two big wins over the weekend, including a 17-point rout of UCLA, 87-70, on Feb. 2, as well as a 79-72 win over USC on Feb. 4. The Sun Devils own sole possession of second place as they head to the Pacific Northwest this week. JR F Emily Westerberg tied her career-high with 26 points against the Women of Troy on Saturday. Westerberg was 9-of-14 (64.7) from the field, as well as 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Against the Bruins, ASU had five players in double-digits, as SR F Kristen Kovesdy led the way with 18 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Kovesdy paces the Pac-10 in field goal percentage, shooting at a .599 clip (118-of-197). ASU, leading the conference in rebounding margin with a +6.0 mark, was outrebounded by USC, 51-41, but held on for the victory. Arizona State came into the week ranked 25th nationally in the same category.
All-Time Series: UO leads 25-16
Last Meeting: ASU 44-43, Jan. 12, 2006, in Tempe.
LAST WEEK
The Ducks dropped a pair of road games, falling to No. 15 Stanford and California in the Bay Area. Oregon was defeated by No. 15 Stanford, 79-58, and by California, 49-39.
SMITH TO BE HONORED WITH SISLEY AWARD
Oregon head coach Bev Smith will be honored with the seventh annual Becky L. Sisley Award in a brief ceremony prior to the Ducks’ game against Arizona State on Sunday, Feb. 12. The award, named after the University’s first director of women’s intercollegiate athletics, is awarded annually to a former women’s athlete commemorating community involvement, career development and support of University ideals.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Heading into this week’s action, the Ducks lead the Pac-10 (all games) in scoring defense (57.1), field goal percentage defense (.345), three-point field goal percentage defense (.286) and blocked shots (4.14).
INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES
As of Feb. 6, SO C Gabrielle Richards leads the Pac-10 (all games) in free throw shooting at .887 and ranks third in field goal percentage at .511. JR F Eleanor Haring is tenth in field goal shooting at .483 ... SR G Chelsea Wagner is fifth in three-point field goal percentage at .422, while SR G Brandi Davis ranks seventh at .403 ... JR F Jessie Shetters and Richards rank sixth and seventh in blocks at 1.18 and 0.95 per game, respectively.
LEADING THE PAC AT MAC
The Ducks lead the Pac-10 in home attendance with an average of 3,769 fans per game thus far in 2005-06. That mark places Oregon 27th nationally among all NCAA Division I women’s basketball programs. Tennessee is the leader at 14,469 per home contest.
DAVIS GUNNING FOR 1,000
Davis is looking to become the 19th member of Oregon’s 1,000-point club. Davis, who has 965 points, is currently seventh on the Pac-10’s active scoring list. She also ranks third on UO’s career three-point FG list with 176.
WAGNER MAKES HER MARK
Wagner broke into the single-season top 10 list for three-point field goals after knocking down two treys on Feb. 4 at Cal. The Springfield, Ore., product tied Davis’ mark of 43 in 2003-04, which ranks tenth at Oregon. Jamie Craighead (2000-01) is the school record holder with 81 in a single season.
WAGNER FIFTH ON CAREER LIST
Wagner’s first three-pointer at Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 14, was the 110th of her career, moving her into sole possession of fifth place on UO’s all-time list. She now has 119, which is 25 shy of Shaquala Williams (1998-2002) for fourth position.
GANES NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JR C Carolyn Ganes was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 18 after leading the Ducks to consecutive road wins. She posted team-highs of 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, hit a game-winning three-pointer at Saint Mary’s (CA), and scored a career-high 26 points at Idaho State. She also set career-highs for assists (4), blocks (2), FG made (11) and attempted (23) against the Bengals.
CENTURY MARK
Oregon’s 102-point outburst vs. Prairie View A&M (12/10) at the Pap? Jam was the Ducks’ first 100-point game since Feb. 4, 1999, a 106-79 win over No. 7 UCLA. It was also the first 100-point game of head coach Bev Smith’s NCAA coaching career.
RECORD DEFENSE
The Ducks set a team record for fewest points allowed in a half, when they held St. Francis (Pa.) to 10 points in the first half of their 80-30 win on Nov. 11. The previous mark was 12 by Gonzaga on Dec. 14, 1996.
SHARING THE BASKETBALL
One of the biggest things head coach Bev Smith preached on offense heading into the season was sharing the ball. The Ducks responded in their first game of 2005-06 by dishing out 26 assists on 33 field goals, marking the most assists in a game by Oregon since dropping 27 dimes at Gonzaga Nov. 25, 2003.
EARLY SIGNINGS
Oregon inked a pair of highly regarded recruits during the early signing period in November. G Taylor Lilley (Newhall, Calif.) and F Mary Sbrissa (Castelfranco, Italy) will suit up for the Ducks as freshmen in 2006-07. Lilley, a 5-6 sharpshooter, played three years for nationally ranked club team Cal Swish. The 6-2 Sbrissa, a banger on the inside, played club ball for San Martino Di Lupari, near Venice, and is currently enrolled as a student at UO.
