Ducks and Beavers are coming to Maples

The Ducks and Beavers are visiting the Cardinal this week — Oregon on Thursday evening and Oregon State on Saturday afternoon.

Neither game will be telecast, but both will be covered by Stanford All-Access and KZSU. You can find the links in the mini-schedule of upcoming games on the FBC home page.

The teams will play again in Oregon in mid-February. If you're planning to go but don't have your ticket for the Oregon Ducks game yet, you can order one from travel@stanfordfbc.org before January 21st. See OU Brunch and Ticket Buy for more information.

  Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are in their third season of "run-and-gun" basketball under head coach Paul Westhead. They returned five of their six top scorers and added a couple of good freshmen. The season looked promising for the Ducks, and it started off well with six wins, albeit against fairly weak teams, before a loss to Fresno State.

Then in early December their star player, senior forward Amanda Johnson, fractured her thumb. She was the Ducks' leading scorer and rebounder, their go-to player. Without her, the Ducks have lost four of their last six games.

In conference play, they lost big to Washington State (75-47), then pulled out a two-point win over Washington. Johnson is not expected back on the court until, at a minimum, next week.

Another significant injury for the Ducks was to freshman center Janitah Iamaleava, who was expected to add much-needed strength in the front court. She suffered a season-ending knee injury during preseason practice.

The Ducks, as a team, rank in the top 25 nationally in four categories — #9 in three-point field goals per game (8.0), #14 in points scored (78.6), #22 in blocks per game (5,4), and #25 in steals per game (12.5). They lead the Pac-12 in steals per game and three-point field goals per game and are #3 in blocks per game.

It should be a lively game at Maples on Thursday – the Ducks' style of play leads to lots of action. Of the Pac-12 teams, they score the second-most points (78.6 per game), but allow their opponents 78.3 points per game (worst of the Pac-12 teams). They grab 45.1 rebounds per game (third-best in the Pac-12) while allowing their opponents 44.4 rebounds per game (#11 in the Pac-12).

The probable starters for Oregon are:

• #30, 6'0" senior guard/forward Jasmine Holliday is, in Amanda Johnson's absence, Oregon's leading scorer (16.1 ppg) and rebounder (8.3 rpg). She has the most blocks (2.0 per game), the second-most steals (2.4 per game) and the best field-goal percentage (51.2).


• #32, 5'7" redshirt senior guard Nia Jackson, who runs the point, missed the final nine games last season due to knee injuries and has been playing through knee soreness. She has the most steals (2.6 per game). She dishes out 4.1 assists per game, but has a poor assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). She scores the second-most points (10.4 per game).


• #22, 5'6" sophomore guard Ariel Thomas averages 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.


• #2, 6'2" sophomore forward Danielle Love averages 7.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.


• #15, 6'1" freshman forward Liz Brenner joined the team in December after a season on the UO volleyball team, where she earned Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors. She has played in four games and started just once. She averages 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game

The Ducks have five other players that average at least 10 minutes per game. They account for close to half of the 3-point field goals. Freshman guard Jordan Loera has made the most 3-pointers (1.7 per game) at a rate of 32%. Sophomore guard/forward Deanna Weaver makes not quite one per game, but at the top rate of 53%.

Oregon's win-loss record (9-5 overall, 1-1 conference) places them 6th in the Pac-12 their RPI (155) places them 11th, and their strength of schedule (188) places them 10th.

Here are Oregon's 2011-12 statistics and their roster.

  Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers are in their second year under head coach Scott Rueck, who did such a fine job of rebuilding the team last season after LaVonda Wagner's departure.

Rueck thinks that lack of depth was the team's biggest detriment a year ago. Their three key players averaged 36 minutes per game and often had a hard time making plays down the stretch. The Beavers have a more robust roster this season – six returners and seven new players, five of them Junior College transfers. They are one of the few Pac-12 teams that has not suffered any serious injuries.

Rueck set up a respectable non-conference schedule, and the Beavers performed well. They won nine and lost two (to North Texas and Saint Mary's). They began conference play with a win over Washington, then lost to Washington State in double overtime.

The Beavers, as a team, rank in the top 25 nationally in five categories — #8 in blocks per game (6.5), #13 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.09), #21 in field goal percentage (44.8), #22 in assists per game (17.2) and #23 in [fewest] fouls per game (13.8). They lead the Pac-12 in turnover margin (3.0 fewer than their opponents) and are second in blocks, assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio.

The starters for Oregon State are:

• #15, 5'11" senior guard Earlysia Marchbanks leads the team in scoring (13.4 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg) and assists (4.2 apg). She's had two double-doubles and scored more than ten points in nine games this season.


• #14, 5'11" freshman guard Ali Gibson is having a standout freshman season. She leads the team in steals with 2.5 per game – second-best in the Pac-12. She averages 3.2 assists per game; her assist-to-turnover ratio ( 2.16) is second-best in the Pac-12. She's the Beavers' second-best scorer (12.2 ppg) and has scored in double figures in nine games this season. Half of her field goal attempts are from beyond the arc – she makes 34% of them.


• #20, 6'4" junior forward/center Patricia Bright is doing a good job of replacing El Sara Greer in the post. She averages 3.5 blocks per game – #1 in the Pac-12 and #5 in the nation. She averages 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds. She makes 63.9% of her field goal attempts – second-best in the Pac-12. She came close to a triple-double in the OSU/Pepperdine game with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a school-record nine blocked shots.


• #24, 6'0" sophomore guard Alyssa Martin played the conference-high 38.1 minutes per game last season and was the Beavers' leading scorer. With this season's more balanced team, she averages 30 minutes, 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.


• #22, 5'9" junior guard Sage Indendi was the mainstay of last season's rebuilt Oregon State team. She led them with a school-record 75 three-pointers. She's in better shape this season and focusing on doing more for the team than "just camping out behind the three-point line," — on driving and creating shots and on improving her defense. She averages 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

The Beavers have four reserves that play at least 10 minutes per game. Watch in particular for #4, 6'7" junior center Thais Pinto. One of OSU's JC transfers, she played for the Brazilian National Team in 2006. She averages 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Her field goal percentage is 63.8 — third-best in the Pac-12.

Oregon State's win-loss record (10-3 overall, 1-1 conference) places them 5th in the Pac-12, their RPI (79) places them 7th, and their strength of schedule (130) places them 8th.

Here are Oregon State's 2011-12 statistics and their roster.