SEATTLE — Oregon women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves says his team is in a good place right now.
It has good reason to be.
The Ducks (16-6, 5-6 Pac-12) never trailed in a convincing 73-48 win over Washington State on Friday night. They shook off five straight losses to start conference play. In Graves’s eyes, they had their best defensive effort of the season in the first half on Friday and now have won five of their last six. Freshman Maite Cazorla has come on strong for the Ducks and has averaged 18.3 points over the last three games.
Oregon will have a chance to keep the momentum going against No. 24 Washington (16-6, 7-4) on Sunday, (12 p.m., No TV) at Alaska Airlines Arena.
“It would mean a lot for our team to come out and play well,” Oregon guard Lexi Petersen said. “Obviously UW is a great team, but it would mean a lot for us to get another road sweep.”
To pick up the team’s second road sweep since 2009 and snap a four-game losing streak to UW, the Ducks will have to keep Washington guard Kelsey Plum at bay. She ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring with 27.1 points a game.
“You have to somehow neutralize Kelsey Plum,” Graves said. “You’re never going to stop her, but you hope to contain her. We have to keep them off the glass. They can beat you [with three-pointers]. You just can’t allow that. … We have to control the tempo.”
Petersen said Plum may very well be the most talented guard the Ducks have seen this season.
“It’s going to be very hard,” Petersen said. “It’s going to take all five of us to stop her. … It’s our job to make her work for every point.”
Plum isn’t the only scoring threat for Washington, though. She, Talia Walton (16.2) and Chantel Osahor (10.6) all average double-digit points per game. Walton and Osahor have combined to average more than 17 rebounds per game so far this season.
Sunday’s game may very well be an offensive display: Oregon ranks second in the conference in scoring and Washington is just behind in third.
A road win over UW would help to boost Oregon’s RPI, which currently stands at No. 69. The Huskies enter the game at No. 27.
Last time Oregon played UW, the Ducks lost 70-55 and Jillian Alleyne had 19 points and 19 rebounds. Washington lost its Friday night game to No. 9 Oregon State 61-53, but has played well enough this year to sneak into the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2003.
Both Petersen and forward Jacinta Vandenberg played for Oregon on Friday night, although Graves said neither is at 100 percent. They both practiced on Saturday afternoon.
Washington coach Mike Neighbors is impressed with where the Ducks are in year two of Graves’s rebuilding project.
“They’re much improved in all facets, including defensively,” Neighbors said this week. “They’ve taken on the identities of the teams he’s had for years. … They’re certainly harder to score on.
“I think they’re hitting their stride right now. The more experience they get together with the young kids and veterans—their play is at a really high level.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne