After losing to the California Golden Bears by double-digits at home, the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team will have an even sterner test against the Stanford Cardinal at 1:00 PM PT today. Fortunately, the Ducks will be playing at home, but that may not make much of a difference against a team that is undefeated in conference play and has just one loss this season.
The No. 3 Cardinal have two players who are averaging a double-double this season, and they are the Ogwumike sisters. Nnemkadi Ogwumike leads the way with 22.3 points per game and 20.7 rebounds per game, while Chiney grabs 10.2 boards in each contest and puts up exactly 16 points. Guard Toni Kokenis is the team’s only productive guard, and she is somebody to watch out for. Kokenis averages 10.2 points per game, 1.4 steals per game (the same amount of turnovers), 3.8 assists per game, and 2.8 rebounds per game. She is a talented all-around player who facilitates the game.
Joslyn Tinkle is another player who should have a significant say in the outcome of this game, because she averages 7.7 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. Stanford is top rebounding team and has a tough interior defense with the Ogwumike sisters, so a win will be difficult to come by.
In an important game on Thursday, Amanda Johnson disappointed and will need to- and look to- bounce back this afternoon. People forget about how good of a three-point shooter she is, mainly because most players who average double-digit rebounds don’t shoot 40.4% from the outside. However, Johnson is one of those unique superstars who is able to do both, and she also averages 1.5 steals per game.
Speaking of causing turnovers, the Oregon Ducks other star- Jasmin Holiday- averages 3.5 combined steals and blocks per game. However, Holiday’s dominance doesn’t stop with defense, because she also averages 14 points and 7.5 boards per game. Johnson and Holiday both shoot 47% from the floor, but Johnson is the better pure shooter and averages 20.1 points per game.
Ariel Thomas and Liz Brenner are two role players to watch for, and they average nearly 16 points per game combined for the Oregon Ducks. They both force 2.7 steals or blocks in each game. Brenner is the far more efficient player, because Thomas averages ten shots per game and only connects on 32% of them. Liz Brenner is a great rebounder, and the freshman forward brings in about six rebounds per game. Both of them have been playing well recently, and they should be able to make an impact today.
No. 3 Stanford is simply too talented for the Oregon Ducks, and they will breeze to a victory in front of the Ducks fans. It won’t be that easy, but expect the Cardinal to win 82-70 in a game that is similar to the Ducks loss against Cal. The Ducks will play better than they did on Thursday, but it won’t be enough against a team that is better than the Golden Bears. Stanford is one of the top teams in the country, and they will not lose this game.
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