Even if it wasn’t the result first-year Oregon coach Kelly Graves wanted in his first Civil War weekend, women’s college basketball fans were treated to a show of Pac-12 stars in Oregon State’s Ruth Hamblin and Oregon’s Jillian Alleyne.
In Oregon State’s 77-48 win over Oregon on Sunday, Jillian Alleyne posted her 54th career double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Hamblin finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Just two nights earlier, the two both had uncharacteristic performances. Alleyne finished with six points on 2-of-12 shooting with 16 rebounds, while Hamblin tallied nine points on 4-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds. Hamblin added a game-high six blocks.
Kelly Graves, signed to a five-year contract before the 2014-2015 season, will see plenty more Civil War match-ups both in Eugene and Corvallis.
“I thought the difference tonight was Ruth,” Graves said. “We had done such a good job with her and Sydney last game. She came to play tonight, it was obvious. I thought that was their big adjustment. They got the ball to her deeper than the other night.”
Alleyne leads the conference in both offensive (4.4 per game) and defensive (10.4 per game) rebounds while Hamblin holds the Pac-12 edge with 3.4 blocked shots per game.
The two have dazzled fans with their breakout abilities.
Alleyne’s 18 rebounds accounted for 46.1 percent of the team’s total rebounding effort. Hamblin’s mark of eight was good enough for 19 percent.
“I think she’s a lot better closer to the basket, so she made that a point this game,” Alleyne said. “Every time, she was where she wanted to be and she went up.”
Both Hamblin and Alleyne bounced back from Friday performances that weren’t quite the norm. Alleyne said that Hamblin was a deciding factor in Oregon State’s win Sunday.
“I think I just took my time more and was more poised in the post,” Hamblin said. “I just kind of rushed my shots on Friday I thought, so I relaxed and played my own game within that.”
As Pac-12 play continues to carry on, both programs can hang their respective hats on Alleyne and Hamblin, knowing that they both can make adjustments and continue to be a menace for opposing teams in the paint.
“I didn’t feel like [Hamblin] was quite herself the other night, nor was Jillian wasn’t either,” Rueck said. “For these two to go 6-of-26 between the two of them, that’s crazy. They’re both great defenders, but still they shouldn’t be able to guard each other quite like that. … I think we saw performances from both of them that were a little bit more on par with who they are.”
Both Alleyne and Hamblin are juniors, so they will meet again at least two more times before they hang up their jerseys for the final time.
“[Alleyne’s] a really talented player and plays really hard,” Hamblin said. “Since she’s so athletic, I have to play perfect angles and keep my gap so I don’t have to drop owls and give her easy things like that.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne