Oregon at UCLA Preview

At 4:00 ET today, the Oregon Ducks women’s team has an away game on tap against the UCLA Bruins. The Ducks are 2-5 in conference play and have looked lost without Amanda Johnson. This team needs to beat the 8-9 Bruins (3-3 in the Pac-12), but the result between these two teams in their last match-up was far from pretty- the Bruins clobbered the Ducks 75-48 last year in February. However, UCLA was much better last season and were ranked No. 9 overall at the time. This year, they are below .500, so this game will be tightly-contested and has importance for both teams.

UCLA’s best player is one of the brightest stars in the conference; guard Rebekah Gardner. She averages 15.2 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 1.8 steals per game, and she shoots 40.5% from the floor. In their last game, a 69-60 victory over Oregon State, Gardner went 8-13 with eight rebounds and four steals with 19 points in total. The Ducks must contain her, but their defense has been porous recently and will more than likely get exposed.

Markel Walker is another Bruin to watch out for, and she averages almost four assists per game (12.4 PPG) and generates just over two thefts each game for UCLA. She had nine assists against OSU, but her 16 points came on a subpar 5-15 line from the floor. She also averages an astounding 10.3 rebounds per game, and Walker corralled 18 boards against the Beavers. Walker is a double-double threat each night, and Jasmin Holliday will need to continue to play solid defense in order to stop Walker.

Guard Thea Lemberger is the third player on the Bruins worth keeping an eye on today, and she also averages double-digits with 11.8 PPG. She only had nine points in her last game, but she is a solid offensive player. However, expect the Ducks to be able to take advantage of her below average defending.

There is one player on the Oregon Ducks who has been especially impressive in recent weeks coming off of the bench, and this player is guard Jordan Loera. She had 13 points in 16 minutes in a losing effort against USC, and Loera hit three of her five attempts from beyond the arc. She is a good, efficient shooter who creates a solid tandem with Deanna Weaver off the bench.

It is difficult to predict a game featuring two subpar teams, but the Oregon Ducks have been nothing short of awful during the month of January. This game should be decided by five points or less, but the Bruins will ultimately win this game. The Ducks showing against the Trojans was poor, and their defense was non-existent. They weren’t that much better offensively, and their slide will continue against a more talented UCLA team.

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