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Game Day preview: Oregon women going for 10th straight win against Washington

chris hansen, register-guard
·3 min read
Oregon coach Kelly Graves gathers his team before their game against USC at Matthew Knight Arena Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 in Eugene, Oregon.
Oregon coach Kelly Graves gathers his team before their game against USC at Matthew Knight Arena Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 in Eugene, Oregon.

Women’s basketball

No. 21 Oregon (12-4, 3-2 Pac-12) vs. Washington (9-5, 1-3)

7 p.m., Friday at Matthew Knight Arena

TV: Pac-12 Oregon

Radio: KUGN-FM (98.1), KUGN-AM (590)

About the Ducks

  • Oregon came out on the losing end of a back-and-forth game against Arizona on Sunday to drop to No. 21 in the AP poll and, at 3-2, into sixth place in the Pac-12 standings. Still, the Ducks are No. 10 in the NET rankings, an indication of how difficult their schedule has been as well as how impressively they’ve played despite the four losses. Next up is a struggling Washington team which has lost nine straight to the Ducks, a streak that began when unranked Oregon knocked off No. 11 Washington 70-69 in the second round of the 2017 Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle.

  • The Ducks continue to be one of the best offensive teams in the nation. Their 81.63 points per game is 12th-highest in the NCAA, and their +20 average scoring margin is ranked 14th. Oregon also is No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 9 in the NCAA in 3-point shooting percentage of 38.0%, and No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 4 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.49. They average 18.6 assists and 12.5 turnovers.

  • Freshman forward Grace VanSlooten, who returned from the Arizona road trip a little banged up, didn’t practice Tuesday and still needed to be in a protective boot. She is questionable for Friday’s game, coach Kelly Graves said. VanSlooten is the Ducks’ leading scorer (15.7 points per game) and No. 2 rebounder (6.4). Reserve guard Ahlise Hurst, who missed the last three games with a lower leg injury, has been cleared to return.

About the Huskies

  • A month ago, Washington was 8-1 overall, including an 82-66 drubbing of Washington State to open conference play. That was an impressive start for a program that went 7-16 last season and finished last in the Pac-12 at 2-12. However, the Huskies have gone 1-4 since mid December, including losses to Colorado, Utah and against the Cougars in Pullman on Sunday in what was their first true road game of the season.

  • The Huskies' have the least productive offense in the conference. They rank last in the Pac-12 in points per game (64.1), 3-point shooting percentage (22.6%), 3-pointers made (64) and 3-pointers made per game (4.6), and 11th in scoring margin (+6.6), free-throw percentage (69.2%) and assists per game (10.6). Dalayah Daniels, a 6-4 forward transfer from Cal, is averaging team-highs of 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. No other player is scoring in double figures.

Statistical comparisons

  • Scoring average: Oregon, 81.6; Washington, 64.1

  • Opp. scoring average: Oregon, 61.6; Washington, 57.6

  • FG percentage: Oregon, 46.7%; Washington, 40.8%

  • Opp. FG percentage: Oregon, 36.9%; Washington, 37.4%

  • 3-point FG percentage: Oregon, 38.0%; Washington, 22.6%

  • 3-point FG per game: Oregon, 8.4; Washington, 4.6

  • FT percentage: Oregon, 71.0%; Washington, 69.2%

  • Rebounds per game: Oregon, 43.8; Washington, 42.0

  • Rebounding margin: Oregon, +10.1 Washington, +10.9

  • Assists per game: Oregon, 18.6; Washington, 13.5

  • Turnovers per game: Oregon, 12.5; Washington, 16.9

  • Turnover margin: Oregon, +1.5; Washington, -0.86

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. 

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks host Washington Huskies in Pac-12 women's game Friday