Wrestling Ducks paste PSU 23-11
By CARL STEWARD
Of the Emerald
Key wins by Steve Hart and Joe
Sade in the early going gave
Oregon’s wrestling team enough
chopping block to score healthy
revenge over visiting Portland
State Wednesday night at Mac
Court, 23-11.
The Viks, who had beaten
Oregon 20-17 in Portland and had
just come off a 24-13 victory over
Oregon State, lost five decisions
by one and two points to Duck
matmen, accepted a draw in
another and were soundly
defeated in two square-offs.
“This is a big victory for us,”
said Coach Ron Finley after the
meet. “We were impressive at
weights we were counting on,
especially the early ones.”
Hart, who had lost a 4-1 match
to Tom Scott of PSU in Portland,
scored a decisive 4-2 triumph in a
return bout, securing riding time
in the second period, then gaining
a reversal and escape after a
takedown by Scott.
Sade scored a takedown with 19
seconds left in the third period to
break a 2-2 deadlock with op
ponent Rudy Johnson. Johnson,
however, had riding time from
the second period and had not
Sade picked up the two points he
would have lost the match. He
won, 4-3.
With that, Oregon took at 6-0
lend into a battle between Mike
Oilar and Dan Mello of PSU.
Oilar, who had a 24-0 dual meet
record on the line in his last home
appearance, lost a 6-4 encounter
to Mello, who received winning
dividend with four impressive
points in the first period on a
takedown and two-point near fall.
Oilar was almost pinned by
Mello (he had 17 for the season
going into the match), but
quickly scored a reversal,
however he could not make up the
deficit.
Shuichi Shoji picked up a 5-3
decision over Steve Daniels and
Dean Dixon drew with Sam Jones
at 150. Jones had beaten Dixon in
the first meeting and carried a 16
1-1 record into the match.
Neither wrestler could gain
position on the other and as a
result, the eight minutes ended in
a scoreless deadlock.
Duane Stutzman received a
touch fight from PSU’s Bob Hulin
at 167, finally winning 3-2 on
riding time.
Freshman Randy Besaw filled
in for Buck Davis at 177 and took
a tough pin by undefeated Kelly
Bledsoe. Bledsoe could not score
on Besaw early, but scored an
escape and takedown early in the
second round. Besaw then hurt
his ankle and could not fight off a
tough offensive attack by the
experienced Bledsoe.
Wes Hines broke a 4-4 tie with
PSU’s Robin Richards on a
takedown with 1:10 left in the
match and held on to score a 6-5
win. Richards, who drew with
Duane Stutzman at 167 in the
earlier meeting, lost his balance,
fell to the mat and could not
escape the grasp of Hines.
The win upped Oregon’s dual
Willett faces another big job
By DAVE BRAFF
Of the Emerald
To beat the UCLA Bruins Bill Walton must be
stopped. Saturday afternoon Gerald Willett, at six
feet eight (on tiptoes) the smallest starting center in
the Pac-8, put the clamps on the Bruin big man.
Playing smart, aggressive defense Willett rendered
Walton virtually ineffective. By positioning himself
in front of the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete,
Willett shut off access to him.
The Duck guards Ron Lee and Mark Barwig
constantly harried their counterparts, preventing
Photo by James Link
Gerald Willett
the famous looping pass to Walton that comes ever
so close to offensive goaltending. Because of this
pressure, Walton’s contribution was minimal.
Gerald Willett, rebounding from what he
considered a sub-par performance against USC was
determined to beat UCLA. Willett outplayed the
much publicized redhead from La Mesa, so
decisively that it seemed that Walton had left his
amazing talent in Pauley Pavillion.
But the Oregon standout could not accept any
argument that Big Bill was lax or remiss last
Saturday afternoon. “No one’s gonna tell me Walton
wasn’t ready to play,” said Willett. “When we were
setting up underneath the basket I could feel him
shaking. I thought, ‘boy he’s ready to play.’ It
stirred me up.”
There were many factors that contributed to the
impressive victory. Willett felt that the Ducks took
smarter shots, moved the ball better, and were in
better physical shape than the Bruins. He also
praised Coach Dick Harter’s control over the team
in the frantic closing moments.
But the UCLA game merely represents fond
memories now. Five games remain on the schedule.
And if Oregon wants a berth in any of the post
season tournaments they need to win all of them.
California provides the competition Friday and the
Cardinals from Stanford invade Mac Court
Saturday.
The latter means weighty problems for Willett,
in particular. The stalwart of the Stanford squad is
seven foot Rich Kelly. Considered one of the best
offensive pivot men in the conference, who this
week jumped into the league lead in scoring with an
average of 18.9 points per game, Kelly can shoot
accurately from almost anywhere on the floor and
is an extremely mobile big man. Willett is keenly
aware of his adversary’s ability. “I’ll try to play
him the same as I did Walton,” he said. “That is by
fronting him. The only way to stop Kelly is by
preventing him from getting the bdU.”
One of Willett’s most effective tactic? is to*
establish dominance or to intimidate his opponent
early in the contest. “I like to shake a player’s
confidence by playing aggressive basketball. If you
keep the guy running up and down the court without
touching the ball in the first few minutes, it can
discourage him.”
As the Ducks head down the stretch, still very
much alive in the surprisingly hectic Pac-8
championship race, Willett hopes to improve his
play. He is personally dissatisfied with his defensive
work which he believes has regressed from last
year. He also is striving to perfect the outside shot
which forces a big center to leave the basket and
guard him, thus opening up the inside.
The Duck’s chances for a second or even first
place finish in the Pac-8 are not unrealistic. Every
one of these last five games is crucial. This weekend
California and Stanford will be seeking retaliation
against the Ducks who won both contests in the Bay
area earlier in the seasoq.
Every player and coach knows that no Pac-8
team is a pushover. And the never-say-die Ducks
should have all the trouble they need against a
vengeful Cal squad and a potent Stanford offensive
machine. At this point there is no tomorrow after a
defeat/ v .
meet record to 15-5 with one meet
to go on Saturday, a return
engagement with Oregon State in
Corvallis.
Photo by Geoff Parks
Steve Hart (on top) found ■•imself in a jam here in his 118-pound
wrestling bout with Portland State’s Tom Scott. Hart rebounded,
however, to take qn important 4-2 decision helping Oregon to a 23-11
victory.
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