By Maddie Lang
EUGENE, OR- The Oregon Ducks’ Women's Basketball team will host the #14 Arizona Wildcats this Thursday night. The Ducks are sitting at 14-13 overall, however, almost all of their wins came in the first half of their season. Although they’ve lost seven straight games, these matchups were all decided by 10 points or less. This means that a victory over the Wildcats is not out of the picture. If Oregon wants to take down Arizona and stop their winning drought, they will need to put up a strong performance.
OREGON’S OFFENSE
The last time the Ducks faced off against the Wildcats, they had one of their top scoring performances. They shot 52.7 percent, scoring 71 overall. Leading the team was Grace VanSlooten who had a total of 18 points all while missing parts of the final two quarters. Oregon’s shooting percentage as of late has stayed within the mid 30% range. If the Ducks want to make a victory happen, they will need to be more aggressive on the offensive end. We’ve seen the Ducks put up strong offensive performances so it is within their wheelhouse to make one happen Thursday night.
AGGRESSIVENESS AND PROTECTING THE BALL
Oregon’s recent performances have been marked by turnovers and lack of rebounding. After their game against Washington on Sunday, head coach, Kelly Graves, mentioned the turnovers and how they impacted the result of that game. They had a total of 20 turnovers in their last matchup with Arizona which is tied with their performance against UCLA for the most all season. If Oregon can protect the ball, they can eliminate scoring opportunities for the Wildcats. The Ducks also need to emphasize rebounding and getting second chance points. Oregon totaled 33 rebounds against the Wildcats which is another one of their lower rebounding performances for the season.
ARIZONA
Arizona is one of the top teams in the nation. They are sitting at 21-6 overall and 11-5 in Pac-12 play. They average 44.7% shooting for a total average of 75.7 points per game. Their top players to watch on the offensive end are Shaina Pellington and Cate Reese. Both average double figures in scoring. On the defensive end, Helena Pueyo is Arizona’s biggest weapon. The 6-foot Guard leads the team with 19 blocks and 63 steals on the season. To combat the strong forces the Wildcats bring, the Ducks will have to be aggressive on defense and protect the ball on offense.
PREDICTIONS
While I think Oregon has enough juice in their system to put up a strong fight, I see the Wildcats walking away with the win. I think we’ll see a strong defensive performance from Te-Hina Paopao who has been performing well on that end as of late for the Ducks. Like we’ve seen in Oregon’s recent matchups, I think it will be a close game, but the Wildcats will take the cake 76-68. Tip off for this Pac-12 matchup is at 7:00 PM PST in Matthew Knight Arena.