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What to know about Oregon Ducks women’s basketball vs. No. 2 UCLA Bruins

Alec Dietz, Eugene Register-Guard
·2 min read
Oregon’s Phillipina Kyei, right, goes to the basket under pressure from Oregon State’s Kelsey Rees during the first half in Corvallis Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.
Oregon’s Phillipina Kyei, right, goes to the basket under pressure from Oregon State’s Kelsey Rees during the first half in Corvallis Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.

Oregon (9-5, 0-1 Pac-12) at No. 2 UCLA (12-0, 1-0 Pac-12)

Time/date: 7 p.m. Friday

Site: Pauley Pavilion; Los Angeles, California

TV: Pac-12 Network. Radio: KUGN 98.1 FM.

About the matchup: A tough matchup for the Ducks on paper, the Bruins are one of the best shooting teams in the country (49.9% field goal percentage) while Oregon is one of the worst (40.8% from the field). If the Ducks want to have any hope of keeping up, they’ll have to compete well on the glass. The Bruins are second in the Pac-12 with 46.9 rebounds per game, and rank first in offensive rebounds with 16.3 per game, while the Ducks are fourth in total rebounding with 42.3 per game.

About the Ducks: A well-played first half in Oregon’s conference opener against Oregon State was overshadowed by a tough second half in a double-digit loss. The Ducks were outscored by nearly 30 points in the second half and fell apart both offensively and defensively in Corvallis. To win Friday, the Ducks will need to play their best game of the season and then some, and it’ll start down low with Grace VanSlooten (16.1 points per game) and Phillipina Kyei (12.4 points per game).

About the Bruins: One of just seven undefeated teams remaining in the country, UCLA will easily be Oregon’s toughest challenge to date this season in just its second conference game. The Bruins have five players who average at least 12 points per game, led by stalwart in the middle Lauren Betts, who averages 16.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Guards Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice make the offense go, averaging a combined 10.8 assists per game between the pair.

Oregon coach Kelly Graves on UCLA: “Right now I think they’re the best team in the country … this is the most complete team. They’re making 50% of their field goals but they’re getting 50% of their misses. If you don’t rebound against these guys it’s going to be a long night … they’re very efficient and we have to be on point in every phase.”

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Pac-12 women's basketball: Oregon Ducks to face No. 2 UCLA Bruins