After getting outrebounded 63-26 by Cal in a loss to the Bears last week, Oregon made rebounding a priority in practice this week.@@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/440578.htm?ATCLID=205357623&SPSID=4307&SPID=236&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
“We’ve been practicing a lot, being a lot more ruthless in our rebounding, trying to go after each other a lot harder and more than we have been in the past,” sophomore forward Danielle Love said. “We’re taking it out on our teammates, so we definitely better take it out on the other teams.”
In the Ducks’ 87-73  win over Arizona on Thursday night, they did just that. Oregon outrebounded the Wildcats 44-39 and limited Arizona to two second-chance points.@@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/441424.htm?ATCLID=205360092&SPSID=4307&SPID=236&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
“We wanted to put a lot of emphasis on that,” Oregon forward Jasmin Holliday said. “We knew it’s really easy for teams to stick with us if they get second-chance points.”
Oregon’s rebounding edge was most pronounced early on. The Ducks had a 27-17 edge on the boards as they gained a double-digit lead in the first half. Oregon was able to exploit Arizona’s weakness in the interior to gain that advantage.
“I thought we did well, but to be honest this team didn’t have the inside rebounding punch that Cal or Stanford has,” Oregon head coach Paul Westhead said. “Their strength was with their outside players.”
Oregon’s rebounding edge helped the team succeed on both ends of the court. Defensively, it allowed the Ducks to limit second-chance opportunities and hold the Wildcats to close to their season average in points scored.
“(Giving up) 12 offensive rebounds, that’s normal, but for us, that’s headline,” Westhead said.
Eliminating second-chance opportunities also helped spring Oregon’s fast break.
“We really tried to be more disciplined this game and really box them out and be one-and-done, so we can get off to the races and try and score on the other end,” Holliday said. “They couldn’t really get back with us.”
Oregon’s improved effort on the boards was keyed by freshman post player Liz Brenner. A standout performer for Oregon’s volleyball team, Brenner joined the basketball team in mid-December, but earned a starting role after only three games. Brenner had 11 rebounds against Arizona and was a physical presence during her 25 minutes of action.
“She’s a force inside, and we needed that,” Westhead said.
Johnson out for the weekend.
Star forward Amanda Johnson was evaluated Thursday for a broken thumb she injured on Dec. 11 in a loss to the University of Denver. The results of the exam were inconclusive.
“The thumb is healing nicely, (but) the doctor said she needs more time,” Westhead said. “She will not play on Saturday. I think it’s way up in the air for next week. I don’t have enough information to say for sure no or for sure yes. We’ll just have to bide our time.”
Jackson’s status unknown 
Although she started and played 12 minutes, Duck point guard Nia Jackson missed the second half because of recurring knee trouble. The ailment has plagued the speedy guard all season, and it’s unclear whether she’ll be healthy anytime soon.
“Nia’s day-to-day,” Westhead said. “I have no idea I would say this, she could not play tomorrow. How fast some recovery time gives her, I would be guessing.
“Every game we go in saying we know we need Nia because she’s our best point guard. We know we need Nia because she’s the one who can generate our fast break. And yet we know that we may have her for five minute, ten minutes, sometimes 23 minutes, and she plays very well. Sometimes she just breaks down.”