Stanford 81, Oregon Ducks 46

The Oregon Ducks women’s team was helpless in an 81-46 home loss against the No. 3 Stanford Cardinal, as Joslyn Tinkle led the way with 19 points and 6 rebounds on 6-9 shooting (a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line). The Ducks cannot be faulted for losing to one of the best teams in women’s college basketball, but it’s never good to lose a conference game at home by 35 points.

While Ducks star Amanda Johnson had seven rebounds, she had another poor game and was held to just eight points on an awful 3-10 shooting performance. Jasmin Holliday was even worse, because she had a lower-than-average five rebounds and was 2-10 from the floor. Yes, both stars combined to have a 25 FG%. In fact, the Oregon Ducks shot 25% as a team yesterday.

The third member of the Ducks big three, Nia Jackson, was even worse and went 3-12 and did nothing else of note. Jackson has cooled off recently, and her poor play of late has been one of the reasons for a disappointing run for the Ducks.

On Stanford, the Ogwumike sisters combined for 19 rebounds, 3 blocks, 26 points, and they had just 3 turnovers between the two of them. Chiney was particularly impressive with 14 points, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, and 9 rebounds. They had to overcome a 26% shooting performance from the bench, which included a 1-7 performance from Lindy La Rocque.

Amber Orrange and Toni Kokenis had five assists apiece, but Orrange was the one to make up for Kokenis’s lack of offensive production (2-9, 1-5 from three). Orrange is playing a bigger role in the Stanford offense and is becoming more productive each game, and she put up 8 points (3-5), 6 rebounds, and 2 steals to go with 5 assists (+18 EFF).

Both teams had five blocks, but the Cardinal held the advantage in the steals department 9-2. They turned the ball over just six times, but they were able to force 15 turnovers from the Oregon Ducks. There was also a huge disparity between both teams’ abilities to knock down their free throws, because Stanford was an incredible 19-20 from the line, while the Duck were a far less accurate 10-18.

Oregon averaged just .61 points per possession (!), while Stanford made each possession worth 1.06 points. There is no doubt that the Cardinal are the better team, and they showed it by demolishing the Ducks at the Matt Court. They are one of the premier teams in the country, but this Oregon Ducks team was not prepared for this home onslaught. Next up, a Civil War battle at home.

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