119-112. Upon first glance at this score, one would have to assume that the Oregon women’s basketball team (14-8, 5-5) prevailed over Arizona (11-10, 5-6) when they last met on Jan. 16. After all, it is the Ducks, not the Wildcats, who lead the nation in points per game (85.2). Yet on this day, nothing could stop Arizona as it outpaced Oregon for the victory.
Now, with a rematch set for tonight on their home floor, the Ducks are out for revenge. Head coach Paul Westhead said the team is up for the challenge.
“The players seem fresh and fit and ready to go,” Westhead said. “This Arizona weekend is a big one for us, for a couple of reasons. One, we lost to both of them down there, and two, we’re now getting to the time in the season that you can’t make things up. So this is the time to make up for past losses.”
Both teams have seen their fair share of struggles since their last meeting. The Wildcats lost three straight after defeating Oregon, but are coming off a sweep of the Washington schools. The Ducks, meanwhile, saw their losing streak climb to five before finally knocking off USC on Jan. 30 and Oregon State last Saturday.
The 119 points the Ducks gave up to Arizona still ranks as a season high. Starting forward Victoria Kenyon’s absence was part of the reason for this unusual output. The junior was suspended for the game after committing a flagrant foul against Arizona State two nights earlier.
With Kenyon back in the lineup, Westhead is confident the defense will improve.
“I think it will be an immense advantage for us,” Westhead said. “Arizona did a terrific job last game, after they beat our initial press, to attack the basket. They got innumerable points doing that, more than I ever want to count. Victoria will do a terrific job in shutting that down and sustaining our press under the basket.”
What Kenyon’s presence will not do, however, is eliminate the threat of Arizona’s Davellyn Whyte and Ify Ibekwe. The two players combined for 71 points when they last faced Oregon, while Ibekwe also contributed 14 rebounds.
“(Ibekwe and Whyte) are kind of the spiritual leaders of that team,” sophomore forward Amanda Johnson said. “I feel like if we can take the momentum away from those two players specifically then it’s going to be a lot harder for them to find their rhythm.”
Of course, stopping players like Ibekwe and Whyte is much easier said than done. Ibekwe, for one, is a relentless force on the boards and ranks fourth in the nation with 11.8 rebounds per game. Given Oregon’s struggles on the glass, this could be cause for concern.
“She’s a really good rebounder, so we have to focus on boxing her out,” junior forward Nicole Canepa said. “I think if we just focus on the little things against her and not get intimidated, we’ll be fine.”
Whyte, on the other hand, is more of a sharpshooter. She was coolly efficient in her last matchup with Oregon, finishing 12-for-17 from the field and 5-for-6 from three-point range for 39 points.
“We’re generally keeping in mind where Whyte gets the ball, because she’s a really nice shot,” Johnson said.
Also key to slowing the Wildcats down will be Oregon’s infamous full court press.
“We’ve adjusted (the press) so that there’s going to be something that they don’t expect,” Canepa said. “Hopefully that surprise will force them to be a little bit more panicked in the press and not just get a quick outlet.”
As a team, Arizona’s .438 field goal percentage is good for third in the Pacific-10 Conference, just behind the Ducks. Their 68.8 points per game also rank third in the conference.
As the Pac-10 season enters its final stretch, the Ducks are looking to pile up as many victories as possible. They are off to a good start with a modest two-game win streak, and can only hope to keep it up against the Wildcats.
“It’s always good when you win a game at home to kind of start backing it up with successive wins,” Westhead said. “We have earmarked this as a very important weekend for us … we should take advantage of where we are right now.”

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