Oregon
USC women’s basketball takes care of business against Oregon
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/uscannenberg/BDNH6IRCUFC3VF6KG4XF65YKZE.jpg?ssl=1 "USC women’s basketball takes care of business against Oregon")
USC women’s basketball (12-1, 2-1 Pac-12) completed the weekend sweep of two Oregon universities to begin the New Year with a 68-54 victory over the Oregon Ducks (9-7, 0-3) on Sunday at Galen Center. In the win, USC tied a season high with 25 assists and committed just six turnovers.
USC freshman guard JuJu Watkins had a team-high 17 points, along with nine rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes. Watkins’ point total was a season low, yet her impact was felt beyond just scoring.
“She’s a winner more than anything else,” head coach Lindsey Gottlieb said. “She can hurt you in a number of ways. And we’re just glad she’s a part of our team, because it’s leading to a lot of winning along with her teammates.”
Oregon sophomore forward Grace VanSlooten had a game-high 18 points, plus six rebounds.
USC junior center Rayah Marshall and graduate guard McKenzie Forbes added 16 points each.
The Trojans came into the game undersized compared to the Ducks — who started 6-foot-8 junior center Phillipina Kyei and 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Kennedy Basham — forcing USC to find different ways of neutralizing the Ducks’ bigs.
At the start of the game, the size was an apparent problem for the Trojans. Marshall had no answer for Kyei, who had eight early points and dominated the paint with her height advantage.
The Ducks had the lead for most of the first quarter, but a three from USC redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby (a transfer from Oregon prior to last season) allowed USC to take a one-point lead into the second quarter.
Gottlieb turned to 6-foot-6 junior center Clarice Akunwafo over Marshall to begin the second quarter, rejuvenating the Trojans’ defense. Akunwafo’s impact was instantly felt, making two blocks in her first three minutes of play.
“I think we just have to figure out the best way for us to be the most effective basketball team we can be,” Gottlieb said. “We have a lot of depth and versatility options.”
The Trojans’ defense held the Ducks to only ten points in the second quarter, closing out the first half with a 30-23 lead.
The third quarter became a back-and-forth between both offenses as Oregon regained a presence in the paint, outscoring the Trojans 10 to four in the area. However, USC still ended the quarter with a six-point lead.
The Trojans broke away in the fourth quarter with significant scoring contributions from Marshall in the post and Forbes’ shooting, closing the game with a double-digit win at home.
After slow starts, Marshall and Forbes found their rhythm, with both of them scoring double digits in the second half, and offering another option on offense beyond Watkins. Marshall came alive in the paint, providing her strong rebounding ability; she grabbed six of her nine rebounds in the second half.
“I am proud of my teammate Clarice. When I came into the locker room for halftime, she told me to play better defense,” Marshall said. “I did that when I came out, made that [defensive] adjustment. I was like, wow.”
USC is back in action next Sunday in a rematch versus the No. 2 UCLA Bruins (14-0, 3-0) at 2 p.m. at Galen Center. The Trojans suffered their first-season loss against the Bruins just a week ago.
“The game plan doesn’t change: box the heck out, go be the tougher team, and try to keep them off the boards. That’s what we have to do,” Gottlieb said ahead of the rematch. “There’s no way to beat UCLA unless you’re willing to do the dirty work on the boards.”
The Oregon Ducks saw seven prospects picked in the 2026 NFL Draft, headlined by tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round.
It’s never too early to start talking about the 2027 NFL Draft, and Oregon has a few underclassmen who could declare early for the draft, joining an already deep draft class out of Eugene led by quarterback Dante Moore.
Jamari Johnson
After former Oregon star Kenyon Sadiq was drafted as the first tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft with the No. 16 overall pick, many believe the Ducks have college football’s next best tight end already on the roster.
With Ducks tight end Jamari Johnson already receiving recognition as the top tight end prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft, he’s likely only spending one more year in Eugene. Johnson flashed as a receiver during his first season at Oregon, and the expectations have only risen for 2026.
Alongside Sadiq, Johnson totaled 32 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns last season. After a season as the top tight end in Oregon’s offense, Johnson is expected to become the third Ducks tight end drafted in three consecutive years following Sadiq and Terrance Ferguson.
Koi Perich
Former Minnesota safety transferred to Oregon in the offseason and immediately received comparisons to former Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman, who started his career with Purdue before transferring and becoming a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
While Oregon fans certainly hope that Perich follows in Thieneman’s footsteps, the Chicago Bears’ first-round pick set the bar high.
Perich enters the Ducks defense expected to be an immediate contributor after earning freshman All-American honors (like Thieneman did at Purdue). The newest Oregon safety totaled 128 combined tackles, six interceptions, five pass breakups, and two forced fumbles in two seasons with Minnesota.
If he can produce at a similar level in Oregon’s defense, the NFL could come calling early for Perich.
Jeremiah McClellan
Maybe a bit of a surprise pick here, but McClellan will be eligible to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft after his redshirt sophomore season. The headlining receiver in 2027 will no doubt be Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith, but McClellan could play his way into the NFL Draft.
McClellan is not projected as an early-round draft pick, especially entering a year in Oregon’s offense that features fellow receivers Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore.
Still, McClellan stepped up when the Ducks were thin at receiver in 2025, and another strong season from the Oregon pass catcher could boost his NFL Draft stock high enough. He finished the year with 38 catches for 557 yards and three touchdowns, not to mention his uncanny ability for acrobatic, highlight receptions.
McClellan did miss Oregon’s spring game on Saturday with an undisclosed injury, though, so he’s far from a lock to declare early for the NFL Draft.
Especially considering the Ducks’ ability to retain players under Lanning, McClellan could very well play multiple years at Oregon after 2026. However, another break out season, and it could be his last in Eugene.
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Former USC Trojans freshman shooting guard Jerry Easter II will be staying within the Big Ten Conference and join the Oregon Ducks through the transfer portal.
The 6-5, 190-pound sophomore averaged 4.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game during his first college basketball season. Easter II finished with a shooting split of 43.6 from the field, 23.5 from beyond the arc, and 74.4 from the free throw line in 17.4 minutes across 29 games played.
Out of the 2025 recruiting class, the former top-60 and four-star recruit out of Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, visited coach Dana Altman in Eugene, Oregon, on March 8, 2024. He’s a high-volume scoring option that has a multifaceted style of offensive play, especially in the open floor. With time to work on his shooting mechanics this offseason, Easter II hopes to have his percentages across the board rise.
He’s much more of a two-guard, as he has an issue with caring for the ball consistently. With Kentucky Wildcats freshman combo guard Jasper Johnson having more of a shot at the starting position, Easter II looks to be a boost off the bench for Altman in 2026-27.
That still means the Ducks require a primary ball-handler to fill the point guard spot. If it can’t be found through the transfer portal, Johnson would look to take over the duties at the one. That’s not where the 6-5, 180-pound talent is best on the floor.
Alabama Crimson Tide’s Taylor Bol Bowen
Alabama Crimson Tide junior power forward/center Taylor Bol Bowen committed to the Pacific Northwest program after his official visit on April 22, bringing desperately needed size at the five spot in Oregon’s frontcourt.
The 6-10, 200-pounder averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this past season. He has a high defensive upside that will replace center Nate Bittle’s role right away.
What separates Bol Bowen’s game from other bigs that the Ducks’ coaching staff was recruiting through the transfer portal is his ability to stretch out the floor. He shot 37.2 percent from deep on nearly 200 attempts, dating back to his first two seasons with the Florida State Seminoles.
Altman’s going to have quite the lengthy unit that will be able to cover the court and switch everything on the defensive side of the ball.
Oregon’s 2026 Transfer Portal Class
Along with Easter II, Johnson, and Bol Bowen, there are three other new faces in Altman’s 2026 transfer portal haul.
- San Diego Aztecs sophomore power forward Pharaoh Compton
- Boise State Broncos junior wing/power forward Andrew Meadow
- San Francisco Dons sophomore wing Tyrone Riley IV
On3 has that group ranked No. 56 in the country, No. 13 in the Big Ten. 247Sports has Oregon’s transfer portal class ranked No. 39 overall and No. 8 in the Big Ten.
The Ducks have filled out 12 of the 15 available roster spots for both scholarship players and walk-ons.
St. John’s Red Storm’s Joson Sanon
Oregon reached out to Saint John’s sophomore transfer Joson Sanon, per League Ready. Whether or not those conversations will continue after the commitment of Easter II is unclear.
The 6-6, 200-pound shooting guard scored 7.9 points per game and shot 33.6 percent on three-pointers in 20.9 minutes across 37 games played in 2025-26. He started his collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
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DEPOE BAY, Ore. — U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued a man from a cliff near Depoe Bay on the Oregon coast Saturday morning after he hurt his ankle and couldn’t climb up to safety.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew was called out to help the man at about 10 a.m. Saturday to help the injured 25-year-old, who was stuck on a cliffside at Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint about 10 feet above the water level.
“Due to rising tide conditions and the subject’s location, first responders determined additional assistance was required to safely recover the individual,” U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District said.
The MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew made it to the viewpoint at about 10:25 a.m., hoisted the man up from the cliffside and took him to the hospital.
“Rescues like this highlight the importance of programs like the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, which focuses on training for contingencies such as inland search and rescue and cliffside rescue,” Lt. Travis Weaver, who was the pilot in the rescue, said in a press release. “Being able to train for events like this before they happen make for safe and effective rescues when our partners call on us for help.”
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