The Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team, coming off a heartbreaking loss to Texas A&M-Commerce, will travel to Eugene, Oregon, to take on the 4-3 Oregon Ducks on Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. The Vandals also come into the game with a 4-3 record, having split last weekend
“Every game for us is an opportunity to compete and grow. What we can do against Oregon is competing our tails off every possession and at the end of the day try to go win the game,” Coach Carrie Eighmey said at the weekly press conference.
On the flip side, the Oregon Ducks are a team reeling from losing two of the last three, with both losses by 20 or more points. The Ducks are led by sophomore forward Grace VanSlooten, who is averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game this season. Sophomore guard Chance Gray helps VanSlooten by averaging 12 points per game. She leads the Ducks with 28 assists this season.
With the Ducks’ obvious size advantage, the Vandals will have to rely on their perimeter more this game.
“Oregon, we do not match up well from a size standpoint, they are a team that likes to play a lot of zone and they will force us to make some mid-range jumpers and threes, and we are going to have to hit shots from the perimeter,” Eighmey said.
The Vandals are led by graduate guard Amalie Langer, averaging ten points per game, and graduate forward Hope Butera, who is not far behind her with nine points per game. The Vandals have spread the wealth this season, getting everyone involved on both ends of the floor.
The Vandals are 2-0 on the road this season, which will help them in this game. The homecourt advantage has not helped the Vandals and Eighmey hopes the Vandals can play better at home shortly.
“We have played well on the road; I am looking forward to the day we play some really good basketball in the ICCU arena for the great fans here.”
Eighmey likes the opportunity ahead of her team against Oregon.
“I think these opportunities for the players are good. It’s an opportunity to compete against power five players, which is a great challenge for our players.”
The Vandals will be tested in every way against the Ducks, but if there was any time to play the Ducks and get an upset victory, it’s right now.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10