It doesn’t get any easier for the Oregon women’s basketball team.
The Ducks, who lost four in a row and six of their past seven, host No. 9 UCLA Thursday night at 7 p.m. When Oregon visited Southern California earlier this year, the Bruins had little trouble defeating the Ducks 87-57.
And that was when Oregon was playing at full health.
The Ducks’ catalyst, point guard Nia Jackson, suffered a left knee sprain and bruised right knee last Thursday at Washington, and is considered day-to-day. Key reserve Deanna Weaver sprained her ankle against Washington State Saturday, but she is expected to play against the Bruins.
Either way, UCLA will be tough to beat. The Bruins have emerged as the clear second-place team in the Pacific-10 Conference, just behind Stanford, and have lost only to the Cardinal and SEC power LSU this season.
The Bruins’ strength lies in their balance — six players average at least seven points per game, while no player averages more than 13. Guard Darxia Morris and forward Jasmine Dixon, the team’s second leading scorer and leading rebounder, respectively, have proved particularly difficult to contain, however, combining to average 25.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Oregon can counter UCLA’s balanced offense with impressive depth of their own — 10 Ducks average at least 10 minutes of playing time each game. Which of those players will be a part of Oregon’s starting lineup is up for some debate, though. In Oregon’s last game, Duck coach Paul Westhead made sweeping changes to his starting lineup, inserting three freshmen and little used reserve Tatianna Thomas alongside longtime starter Amanda Johnson.
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Oregon’s depth key to success in Los Angeles road trip
Daily Emerald
February 9, 2011
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