Oregon

3 things to watch as Iowa women’s basketball looks to stop skid at Oregon

Published

10 months ago

January 18, 2025

3 things to watch as Iowa women’s basketball looks to stop skid at Oregon

IOWA CITY — Following an uncharacteristic run of home struggles, the Big Ten schedule now takes Iowa women’s basketball as far away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena as possible in the league.

The Hawkeyes (12-6, 2-5 Big Ten Conference) are set to begin their first West Coast conference swing, beginning with Sunday’s 4 p.m. game at Oregon (13-5, 4-3) on BTN+. Iowa will then head to Washington next Wednesday for an 8 p.m. showdown. The Hawkeyes are desperately trying to end a four-game losing streak that suddenly has them flirting with the NCAA Tournament bubble.

With that, here are three things to watch ahead of Sunday’s showdown.

Can the Hawkeyes productively channel their desperation?

Everyone inside the program understands the current situation and how it needs to change. But the Hawkeyes can’t let that pressure generate more tight play on the court, an ongoing theme throughout this four-game losing streak.

“We really are just one or two possessions away,” assistant coach Sean Sullivan said Friday. “With a team like this who’s continuing to fight, we just need one win. We just need one to get going because these kids really do believe.

“Everyone knows their role. Everyone is supporting each other, and that’s the best thing you can do at this time during a four-game losing streak. We’re not going down that black hole. We see the light. We’ve just got to get there.”

Until revealed otherwise, expect another tense affair with plenty of late-game opportunities for Iowa to find a better conclusion. The Hawkeyes need to bring this one home.

How does Iowa handle Oregon’s full-court pressure while potentially leaning more on its own press?

Iowa had some trouble in December with pressing teams, most notably Tennessee and Michigan State, that resulted in heavy turnovers and late struggles. On the flipside, the Hawkeyes have implemented their own press, just sporadically, mainly in moments of desperation.

Iowa leaned on more pressure in Thursday’s loss to Nebraska with some success. Could Sunday be a moment to match the Ducks’ energy there?

“Oregon is going to be pretty intense with ball pressure. That’s not what we do, but we’re slowly doing a little bit more of a press,” Sullivan said “First we did a press break of some type of 2-2-1. Now we’re like, ‘OK, let’s change it up a bit. What do our players feel comfortable with?’ (Thursday) night, we had a lot of success. We’re starting to see what they’re good at.

“Now, we’ve just got to have fun with it. Let’s start doing some random things because when you do something consistently, it’s easy to scout. But when you start changing things up, Nebraska didn’t handle our pressure well. And that builds us confidence. So I think for the future, you’ll definitely start to see some more stuff.”

What does Iowa have in store for Ava Heiden in her Oregon homecoming?

Even as far back as media day, Ava Heiden’s excitement for the Oregon trip was apparent. Her hometown of Sherwood, Oregon, sits about 100 miles north of the Ducks’ campus, so expect a strong cheer for Heiden when Iowa takes the floor Sunday.

“Ava is so athletic,” Sullivan said. “She can jump out of the building. She can get rebounds. And that’s what we’ve got to start figuring out. How can we utilize her a little bit more too?

Heiden’s minutes have been up and down this year, more down lately as Hannah Stuelke has shifted back to the “5” position for more consistency. Heiden didn’t play against Nebraska but could certainly see more usage Sunday.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

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Oregon

Tale of the tape: Previewing Oregon’s Class 3A football state title game between Cascade Christian and Burns

Published

6 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Tale of the tape: Previewing Oregon’s Class 3A football state title game between Cascade Christian and Burns

We’re at the final week of Oregon high school football and the Class 3A state tournament all comes down to No. 1 Cascade Christian (12-0) and No. 3 Burns (11-1).

Here is a breakdown of Saturday’s Class 3A state championship game, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Summit High School in Bend.

Last meeting: Burns won 46-19 in Week 3 of the 2014 season.

Quick fact: Cascade Christian is vying to become the first team to give up zero points en route to a state title since Regis won the Class A championship in 1973.

About Burns

Road to the final: Def. Phoenix 54-7 (first round), Vale 32-20 (quarterfinals), Banks 36-31 (semifinals)

Last state championship: 2024 (second)

Last state final: 2024 (fifth appearance)

Coach: Matt Bruck, third season (28-14)

Offensive leaders: QB Jack Wright, sr. (144-246-3-2445, 40 TDs pass; 88-491-12 rush); RB Tommy Winn, sr. (139-943-9); WR Coltin Miller, sr. (79-1505-21); WR Preston Hill, sr. (31-471-7); TE Cannon Kemper, jr. (19-342-8)

Defensive leaders: LB Jasper SkunkCap, jr. (73 tackles, 15 for loss); DL Joe Weil, sr. (68 tackles, 28 for loss, 11.5 sacks); LB Kemper (69 tackles, 10.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks); LB Colter Handley, soph. (56 tackles, 5 for loss); DL Ben Chamberlain, jr. (13 tackles for loss)

Lighthearted moment: Several weeks ago, the team played a game of “blob tag,” which requires teammates to remain attached by holding hands or interlocking arms, and as they tag players and attach them to the blob, it breaks off to form new blobs. Who started as the blob? Two of their biggest linemen — Weil and classmate Wesley Graham — trying to chase down their quicker teammates, which Bruck said was a funny sight.

Secret weapon: Weil also rated a mention as the leader of the Hilanders’ offensive and defensive lines.

“On the offensive side of the ball, they create gaps for Tommy and Jack to run through as well as protect Jack,” Challengers coach Jon Gettman said. “On defense, they just shut down a Banks team that had run the ball really well all season. They are a very physical, well-coached team that puts a lot of pressure on you.”

About Cascade Christian

Road to the final: Def. Pleasant Hill 68-0 (first round), North Valley 48-0 (quarterfinals), Gervais 36-0 (semifinals)

Last state championship: 2023 (fifth)

Last state final: 2023 (eighth appearance)

Coach: Jon Gettman, 16th season (155-32)

Offensive leaders: QB Deryk Farmer, sr. (89-147-4-1556, 16 TDs pass; 64-682-11 rush); RB Bryson Walker, jr. (89-986-27); WR Caleb Scaglione, sr. (38-563-7); WR Mikey Covey, soph. (11-353-2); WR Caleb Parker, sr. (15-335-3)

Defensive leaders: LB Covey (63 tackles, 14 for loss, 3.5 sacks, 11 hurries); LB Wyatt Hurley, jr. (59 tackles, 6 for loss); LB Walker (58 tackles); DE Alex Fiannaca, sr. (53 tackles, 11.5 for loss); LB Seth Scaglione, jr. (44 tackles, 10 for loss, 4.5 sacks); DE Austin Cook, jr. (9.5 tackles for loss)

Lighthearted moment: One night before the season kicked off, Gettman invited all the players and their fathers to gather for a night of worship and prayer along with a talk from guest speaker Brandon Boice, a former Oregon State player. It was such a success that Gettman held another session during their Week 7 bye.

“We spend so much time and effort on the gridiron,” Gettman said. “But the greatest blessing is seeing these young men grow up and be leaders in the community. So, taking a break from the season and just being able to speak to the weightier things of life is what I’m thankful for.”

Secret weapon: Bruck pointed to their big three of Farmer, Walker and Caleb Scaglione, “but everything has to run through their quarterback,” he said. “But really, you have to pay equal attention to their trio.”

— René Ferrán is a freelance reporter for The Oregonian/Oregon Live. René grew up in Portland and has written about high school sports in the Pacific Northwest since 1993, with his work featured at the Idaho Press Tribune, Tri-City Herald, Seattle Times, Tacoma News Tribune, The Columbian and High School on SI. He can be reached at rferran.oregonianhssports@gmail.com

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Oregon

Oregon State women can’t keep up with No. 17 Vanderbilt in second loss of season

Published

1 day ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Oregon State women can’t keep up with No. 17 Vanderbilt in second loss of season

Oregon State women’s basketball failed to keep pace with a dynamic offensive team Thursday night, as No. 17 Vanderbilt ran away from OSU, 88-66, in the Paradise Jam Tournament.

Playing their first game in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Beavers (5-2) struggled against a high-pressure Vanderbilt defense, committing 21 turnovers.

The Commodores (7-0) got a game-high 35 points from superstar sophomore Mikayla Blakes and a career-high 17 from Justin Pissott. OSU got 15 points apiece from Jenna Villa and Ally Schimel, and 14 from Lizzy Williamson.

OSU fell behind 8-0 early, facing intense defensive pressure from the Commodores. Blakes was a force from the opening whistle, scoring 21 first half points.

The Beavers trailed, 26-13, after one, as Vanderbilt hit five three-pointers in the opening quarter alone.

But aggressive offensive play from Villa and Schimel cut the Commodores’ lead down to two in the second quarter.

With 2:30 left in the first half, a three-pointer from Cloe Vecina gave OSU the lead, 33-32. But Vanderbilt finished the half strong and took a 43-38 lead at the break thanks to the relentless scoring of Blakes and Pissott.

Vanderbilt carried their strong shooting into the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run to get it to 50-38.

The full-court press started to wear OSU down in the third, and Blakes took full advantage with easy buckets in transition. The Commodores extended their lead to 58-42 midway through the period.

Vanderbilt kept its foot on the gas pedal and didn’t look back, as Scott Rueck’s team committed 11 turnovers in the third quarter alone, getting out-scored 30-9. The Commodores went on a 21-5 run and took a 73-47 lead into the fourth.

Next game: Oregon State (5-2) vs. Virginia Tech (5-2)

When: Saturday, Nov. 29
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT
Where: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (Paradise Jam tournament)
Stream: ESPN+

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Oregon

Thousands of Americans advised to avoid outdoors in California, Oregon

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Thousands of Americans advised to avoid outdoors in California, Oregon

Thousands of residents across parts of California and Oregon have been advised to stay indoors where possible on Thursday due to concerns over high levels of air pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s AirNow map shows that areas including Cromberg, Portola, and Sattley in California, and La Pine in Oregon face “unhealthy” levels of air quality as on 03.10 a.m. ET on Thursday.

Why It Matters

Unhealthy levels of air pollution in the atmosphere can affect everyone, but vulnerable people, especially the elderly, children, and those with existing heart or lung conditions, can be particularly affected.

Exposure to poor air can lead to eye, throat, and nose irritation, coughing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath.

When pollution is in the “unhealthy” range, the EPA advises that sensitive groups avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider moving or rescheduling them indoors. The EPA also recommends the remainder of the population to reduce long or intense activities, and to take more breaks during outdoor activities.

This is a developing story. More to follow.

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