After months of waiting and anticipation, the Oregon women’s basketball team will make its Matthew Knight Arena debut on Sunday against rival Oregon State.
The Ducks (11-6, 2-4 Pacific-10 Conference) enter the Civil War on a two-game losing streak after dropping road games to USC and No. 8 UCLA. Oregon was competitive in a 79-76 loss to the Trojans, but struggled mightily in an 87-57 defeat to the Bruins.
Forward Amanda Johnson leads the Ducks in scoring with 16.4 points per contest, but she has struggled lately and seen her scoring average and shooting percentage drop. Point guard Nia Jackson, who is second on the team in scoring and first in assists, has picked up some of the slack, earning Pac-10 Player of the Week honors a week ago.
Oregon State (7-10, 0-6 Pac-10) also enters play on a losing streak, albeit one of greater length. The Beavers, who endured a tumultuous offseason with former head coach Lavonda Wagner’s firing and several players leaving the program, have lost six in a row.
Even though they’ve lost more games than they’ve won, Oregon State’s season has to be considered a success to date. New head coach Scott Rueck inherited only two players from last year’s team and was forced to fill his roster with transfers, incoming freshmen and walk-ons.
The Beavers are led in scoring and minutes played by true freshman Alyssa Martin. A Jesuit High School (Portland) graduate, Martin averages 14.6 points per game and 38.3 minutes per contest. George Fox University (the former employer of Rueck) transfer Sage Indendi is second on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game, while holdover El Sara Greer leads the team in rebounding (8.3 boards per game) and is third in scoring (9.1 points per contest).
Tipoff for Sunday’s contest is set for noon.
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