by Ryan Oppenheimer

Following victories over Portland and Michigan State, the 17th-ranked Oregon Women’s Basketball Ducks (6-1) will host the Oregon State Beavers (6-2), their first in-conference opponent of the young season, Sunday at 4:00 pm PST. Last season, these two split the season series, with each team stealing a win in the opponent’s gym.

Balance and unselfishness have fueled a hot start for the Lady Ducks, who are one of only six teams in the country to average over 20 assists per night so far. They are doing this while taking care of the ball exceptionally well, as they boast the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in basketball. They have converted on threes at a 40% rate, with guards Te-Hina Paopao, Endyia Rogers and Chance Gray have all taken turns catching fire. The defense, led by Grace VanSlooten and Phillipina Kyei’s interior presence, has held opponents to under 40% from the field, but they allowed 85 points to North Carolina, their only ranked opponent.

The Beavers are on a two-game winning streak of their own, defeating Jackson State and Southern. Sophomore guard Talia von Oelhoffen pilots the offense, scoring a team-high 16.6 PPG, while freshman sixth-woman Raegan Beers puts up 13.4 off the pine. 6’9 Serbian center Jelena Mitrovic protects the rim with 2 BPG while tying for the team lead in assists. As a unit, they rank top 20 in opponent FG% and they limit fouls better than any team in America.

Oregon will need to convert on the few free throws and interior scoring opportunities they get, but the Beavers don’t pose enough of a threat on offense to prevent the them from winning a third straight.

Prediction: Oregon wins 71-64