Oregon senior Jillian Alleyne has one game in particular marked on her calendar: No. 12 UCLA.
Earlier this season, the Ducks let a halftime lead slip away against the Bruins. This time around, Alleyne and the Ducks are gearing for an upset to improve the team’s NCAA Tournament chances (6 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
“We have a chance to do something really great,” Alleyne said. “That starts on Friday. … I’m really excited about this opportunity that we have.”
Oregon (19-6, 8-6 Pac-12) is riding a five-game win streak into Friday. The Ducks have won eight of their last nine games and have the program’s longest Pac-12 winning streak since the 1999-2000 season. Oregon hopes its recent success will lead to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.
The Ducks enter Friday ranked No. 56 in the NCAA’s RPI and were the fifth team left out of Charlie Creme’s ESPN bracket.
“Finishing out these next four games with four wins puts us in a great position,” Alleyne said.
Ducks coach Kelly Graves said a key to stopping UCLA’s offensive attack is controlling the offensive boards.
“We’ve got to eliminate our live-ball turnovers,” Graves said. “We kind of joke that they’re like airplanes and when they take off, they really get going.
“Number two, we have to do a great job on the defensive boards. They’re so athletic, long and tenacious.”
UCLA (19-6, 11-3) leads the conference in points per game (75.8) and has held opponents to 25.9 percent shooting from 3-point range. Oregon enters the game ranked No. 1 in the conference in 3-point shooting at 41.9 percent.
Graves called UCLA’s backcourt of Nirra Fields and Jordin Canada the best 1-2 combination in the country. Canada currently averages 15.9 points per game and ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 in assists with 6.38 per game. Fields finished with a season-high 31 points against the Ducks in their first Pac-12 meeting.
“I don’t think it’s even close,” Graves said. “We’ve got to keep them in front of us and make them make jump shots.”
Alleyne is streaking as of late for the Ducks. She’s the team’s leading scorer (18.6 ppg) and ranks No. 1 in the conference in rebounding (13.6 rpg). On Monday, she was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the third time this season.
“As we’re winding down in season, I’m just making sure I’ve got everything right for the team,” Alleyne said.
Graves said Alleyne, like the senior class, has realized that her time at Oregon is quickly coming to a close.
“She really has played well and put us on her back in the last few weeks,” Graves said. “The best I’ve seen play at both ends of the floor. I think it’s terrific.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne