By: Ian Sutliff
Eugene, OR-- On Saturday, the Oregon Ducks will be aiming for their second consecutive win after a strong showing in the PK85 tournament. Portland is coming off its third win in a row on the other hand with strong defensive performances against Houston, Northeastern, and Evergreen State. With conference play starting next week, this will be a strong test for both squads as they head into some very important games.
Oregon:
With Pac-12 play opening next Sunday, the Ducks are in need of a convincing win against a very underrated Portland Pilots team that is starting to look more comfortable with each passing game. On Saturday, Oregon will need to rely heavily on the strength of its backcourt duo with upperclasswomen Te-Hina Paopao and Endiya Rogers. Paopao and Rogers have accounted for an average of almost 26 points per game and the two combined to shoot 45.8% from the field (40% from three-point range) against Michigan State and North Carolina. Grace VanSlooten has probably been the biggest contributor this season as she’s averaged 13.7 points per game to go along with her 7.2 rebounds. The first-year forward has one Pac-12 freshman of the week honors already and may very well take it home at the conclusion of this weekend as well. One thing to be concerned about though is the defensive play over the last two contests. While Oregon did play two very talented teams, North Carolina and Michigan State shot about 46% and scored 85 and 78 points, respectively. Kelly Graves’ team has not allowed that many points since the beginning of last season against Oklahoma and top-ranked South Carolina. If the Ducks can hold Portland to 65 or fewer points, this game likely won’t be much of a worry.
Portland:
There isn’t much spotlight around the Pilots this season yet with the team being just 5-3, but there could be if it is to upset Oregon on Saturday. Portland is led by Junior forward Alex Fowler who has led the team in scoring each of the past five games and averages a strong 15.1 points per game. Other than that, the Pilots have just one other player averaging in double figures in Sophomore shooting guard Maisie Burnham. Burnham is a great compliment to Fowler as she can do a little bit of everything. The sophomore averages 11.5 points per game as well as five rebounds and shoots an impressive 47% from the field. More than anything, Portland will need its role players to be at their best to beat Oregon in Eugene this Saturday. The Pilots average an incredible 27.4 points from its bench players this season and that’s even after Liana Kaitu’u pretty much disappeared after averaging 13 points the first three games of the season. If Fowler and the rest of the starting five shoot better than the mediocre 30.2% mark they’ve posted this season, this could be a very close contest. The bench is also going to need to play just as well as it did against UC San Diego if the Pilots want to make headlines by upsetting the Ducks this weekend.
Prediction:
Portland isn’t a very tall team and doesn’t rely very much on any forwards other than Fowler to shoulder the scoring load which could be a problem against Oregon. VanSlooten and Phillipina Kyei are two very strong defensive bigs that won’t let anything come easy in the post against Portland. If the Pilots are forced to take shots from deep, which will likely be Oregon’s strategy, then it could be a very tough day for this Portland team. The Ducks have held opponents to under 30% shooting from beyond the arc and that has already been a big problem for Portland. If Oregon continues to shoot the ball well, it should win comfortably on Saturday. The Pilots have a solid defense and will hold Oregon to a lower point total than its used to, but I believe the Ducks will have an even better day defensively.
Final Score: Oregon 75- Portland 61