The Oregon women know a thing or two about underestimation.
During their brutal non-conference schedule, the Ducks took a lead into halftime against then-No. 7 Baylor before the Lady Bears overwhelmed them. And Oregon stunned UCLA on Jan. 4 to split the Ducks’ initial Pacific-10 Conference series.
But the flip side of the coin was presented Saturday, as Oregon wilted under the pressure of the Arizona defense to give the Wildcats just their second Pac-10 win of the season. The Ducks dropped to 4-7 in conference play (8-14 overall), having lost five consecutive games against Pac-10 opponents.
Accordingly, Oregon cannot expect a rebound as it begins its weekend home stand against Washington State and Washington, which rank ninth and 10th in the Pac-10, respectively. But hosting the games figures to help out greatly; Washington State (9-13, 2-9), today’s opponent, has not won a road game since Dec. 19.
The Cougars’ offense presents Oregon with a challenge, as it currently ranks ahead of the Ducks in team scoring (61.6 points per game to 57.7). A pair of freshman guards, Jazmine Perkins (13.7 points per game) and April Cook (13.2 ppg), lead the Cougars’ offensive charge; Perkins’ scoring total is eighth-highest in the nation among freshmen. Senior guard Katie Appleton, Washington State’s all-time career leader in three-pointers made, contributes 9.7 points per game as the third-highest scorer.
Oregon will have to deny second-chance points to keep this game in its control; the Cougars are second in the Pac-10 in offensive rebounding (16.2 per game). Washington State also ranks third in turnover margin (+2.27 per game), an area where the Ducks have struggled of late. Oregon has committed 3.5 turnovers per game more than its opponents on the season, the worst mark in the conference.
The Cougars’ offense couldn’t be considered potent, ranking seventh in the conference in points scored, but its general inefficiency in obtaining those points has hurt the team all year. Washington State is last in free throw percentage (59.4 percent) in the conference and also ranks ninth in field goal percentage (36.4 percent) and eighth in three-point field goal percentage (30.0 percent).
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