CORVALLIS, Ore. – In a battle of wills between one of the nation’s top defenses and the nation’s highest scoring offense, Oregon proved to have its way defeating Oregon State 86-71 on Saturday afternoon at Gill Coliseum.

The Ducks, currently the nation's top-scoring team, are now 12-3 on the season and off to their best start since 1998-99, while UO’s 3-0 start in Pac-10 play is its best since the 2000-01 squad began league play 4-0.

Oregon State, which came into the game with the Pac-10's best scoring defense which also ranked ninth in the nation, is now 9-4 on the year and 1-2 in the Pac-10.

Oregon shot 53.8 percent from the field and had four players in double figures led by Taylor Lilley’s 23 points, five assists and four steals. Senior guard Micaela Cocks contributed 22 points, while sophomore forward Amanda Johnson added 20 points – scoring 15 of those in the second half – and brought down nine rebounds.

Sophomore Jasmin Holliday matched Johnson with a game-high tying nine rebounds and also chipped in a season-high tying 13 points.

Oregon State has a sharpshooter of its own in guard Talisa Rhea, and the junior scored a game-high 30 points while shooting a near-perfect 7-of-8 from three-point range.

The Beavers had two more players in double figures with freshman Haiden Palmer scoring 19 and Kirsten Tilleman adding 13.
Oregon opened the second half on a 13-6 run to take its biggest lead of the game at that point, 58-45, after a jumper in the paint from Johnson.

The Ducks were able to maintain a double-digit lead until the 11-minute mark, when a 10-2 run aided by back-to-back three-pointers from Rhea had OSU within 64-57 with 10:50 left in the game.

Oregon answered OSU’s effort with a trio of three-pointers from Cocks, Victoria Kenyon and Lilley to again widen the margin, 78-63, with 6:29 left.

Shortly after that, Oregon lost Kenyon for the rest of the game as the Aussie picked up her fifth foul.
OSU made one final run at the Ducks, finding life with a 6-0 run to cut Oregon’s lead to 78-69 with 4:47 remaining, but Lilley and Johnson quickly answered on the offensive end to keep the game out of reach.

Oregon outscored the Beavers 42-30 in the paint, and also scored 22 points off OSU’s 20 turnovers. The Ducks turned the ball over 14 times and outrebounded Oregon State 34-32.

Oregon went into halftime nursing a 45-39 lead. The Ducks had led by as many as 10 after a Holliday three-pointer had the Ducks ahead 42-32 with 1:49 remaining, but Rhea drained a trey of her own and Palmer converted two lay-ups to end the half on a 7-3 run.

Cocks led the Ducks with 15 points at the break, while Lilley added 13 as Oregon shot 56.3 percent from the floor in the first half.
UO’s one concern exiting the half was foul trouble as Kenyon and Cocks each had three apiece. The Ducks had committed 10 fouls by 6:33 mark putting OSU into double bonus.

Oregon took its first lead, 8-5, at the 17:32 mark after Lilley buried her first three-pointer. The Ducks held the advantage until the Beavers retook the lead, 24-23, with a lay-up from Julie Futch. OSU led by no more than three after that point as Oregon pieced together a 16-9 run to take a double-digit lead on Holliday’s basket from long distance.

Rhea led OSU at the half with 17 shooting a flawless 4-of-4 from three-point range.

NOTES 
Oregon’s 12-3 start is its best start since 1998-99…the Ducks’ 3-0 start in Pac-10 is their best since the 2000-01 squad opened league play 4-0…the win breaks Oregon’s two-game losing streak to OSU…it was the Ducks’ first win in Corvallis since Dec. 29, 2007…Oregon’s 86 points ties the most scored by the Ducks in the all-time series. The last was a 96-86 loss on Feb. 9, 1995…Taylor Lilley now has 197 career three-pointers to her credit.

UP NEXT
Oregon will play two more games on the road heading to play at Arizona State on Thursday, Jan. 14, and at Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 16. The Ducks return to Mac Court to host California at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21.

TICKETS
Tickets are still available for Oregon’s next homestand with California (Jan. 21) and Stanford (Jan. 23) in town. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE, calling 1-800-WEB-FOOT, or in person at the Casanova Center ticket office. Tickets can also be purchased at the McArthur Court ticket window 90 minutes prior to game time. The doors to Mac Court open 60 minutes prior to tip.

PROMOTIONS
Oregon fans can pick up a “$5 Off” coupon at any Eugene/Springfield area Carl’s Jr., BI-Mart ore Oregon Community Credit Union location to receive $5 off a reserved ticket for Oregon’s game against California on Thursday, Jan. 21.

FORMER DUCK GREATS RETURN TO MAC COURT
Conference women’s basketball season played at McArthur Court. Each Pac-10 game this season will have a pre-game ceremony featuring at least one honorary captain. In addition, the first 1,000 fans through the doors will receive a 3x7 commemorative ticket highlighting the accomplishments of the honorary captain(s) for that contest. Missy Croshaw, who played at the UO from 1991-94, will serve as the honorary captain for the Oregon-California game on Jan. 21, 2010. Debbie Sporcich will be Oregon’s honorary captain for the Ducks’ televised match up with Stanford on Jan. 23, 2010.

MAC COURT MEMORIES
The Oregon Athletics Department wants fans to submit their favorite Mac Court memories online and at all home basketball games. Duck fans can write-in their favorite memory of McArthur Court and/or send pictures in to athletics@uoregon.edu (all submissions become the property of the athletic department and will not be returned).