Tourney-bound Beavers need win
■ OREGON STATE: Head
coach Judy Spoeisira
says her team rs happy to
be playing m front of the
crowd at McArthur Court
By Trevor Kearney
Sptvefaaw
Going into Friday night's Chrit
War matchup, tha Oregon State
Beavers are ranked Uth in the
USA Today/CNN Top 25 poll,
boast a 1ST overall record and
have a lock on an NCAA (ham
pi unship Tournament bid
The Beavers (116 in tha ion
fere nee) clinched second place
in the Pacific:-to Conference,
loo, after Stanford heat Arisona
77*61 last night The win
ensured the Beavers of a second
place finish and was their first
step in the direction of their goal
of hosting thetr first round tour
nament game.
But don’t let that fool you
Because the Beavers’ second
and final step ts the Civil War
"I think Friday's game is
important for our opportunity to
boat an NCAA first round." head
coach Judy Spoelstra said. “We
put in a big bid. we understand
that we are being looked at very
seriously by the selection com
mitten, and I think finishing on a
positive noie and playing very,
very well is going to he the key
for us.
"Even If we go down there
and lose we need to play very,
very well."
The Beavers are in the midst
of a two-game losing streak, and
both of those losses came on the
road On Saturday. Oregon State
lost to USC by one point, and
that loss came just days after
UCLA beat the Beavers 66-56
But those two games played
in near empty arenas ami
according to Spoelstra. the
Beavers, who broke the Pac-10
single-game attendance record
by drawing 7.861 fans against
Stanford this year, play their
worst in those conditions Ore
gon State set its own regular was
•on attendance record hy
drawing *3.1*3 fans this year,
an average of 3JW-S per game
“We are used to having 3.000
or 6.000 Mae at home, and going
on the road last weekend to an
empty Pauley Pavilion and an
empty Lyon s Center kind of
threw us off.’ SpoeUtra said,
adding that playing in a noisy
McArthur Court will help the
Bee vets if anything ’So noise is
a good Ihing I think it will help
— that big game environment is
where our players step up the
most "
And with the Ducks all hut
needing a win to get a tourna
ment hid. big game environment
U fust what the Civil War will
be
’ll is a bag game. Oregon ia our
intrastate rivalry.” SpoeUtra
said. ~! think it ia a motivational
factor when the players know
that this is s must-win situa
tion"
But for the Beavers lo get the
nod to host their firsi round
game, this game is hig for them,
too. making it ail the more com
petiti ve
"I don't think that they have
felt they played that well in the
last couple of games and that
they are kind ol struggling and
have a tendency to not show up
for big games.’ SpoeUtra said
“So from that respect, you are
throwing two teams out there on
the floor that are pretty much
going through the same emo
tional crisis “
The Beavers are led by senior
forward Tanys Loath., who holds
every Oregon State offensive
career record except assists and
field goaU made She has
chalked up I* double-doubles
Ibis season, including a 20 point
arid 10 rebound performance
against USC last Saturday, and
has ted the team in scoring every
game this year except against
Arizona, when teammate Aoette
MotlerMrom wared 20 paint*
She ha* al*o had •( least a chare
of the top rebounder in all but
three game*
Against the Ducb in January.
Kottic downed 19 point* and
grabbed 10 board* Bui accord
ing to Spoelatra. tonight * con
test i* going to be a completely
different hall gam#
*W» wen fortunate enough to
beat them here at home the Ant
time and it ww a very close
Kme. but at the came time we
*1 like we didn't play very
well, and I'm sure they did too.*
SpoeUtra cant “Thai was a long
lime ago. the first game of Pac
10 play It team* like a year ago
right now. *o we are probably
looking at two different team*
going out there *
Moll«r»trom t* alto a tlrong
player that ha* made a big
impart at Oregon State The
tenior forward t* averaging 13 1
point*, 4 1 rebound* and |u*l
over one Meal per game, aod
together with Koeiic. who i*
averaging an incredible 23 5
point* and >0 9 rebound* tht*
year, make* up a feared forward
tandem In addition, the Heaver*
have 9 foot-5 center Tina beta*
to giva (he Duck* post player*
tome trouble
The Reaver* put controversy
and turmoil behind them last
year when long time head coach
Aki Hill wa* fired However,
SpnelMr*. an Oregon State grad
uale. ha* picked up the program
right where Hill left off
"I think the athlete* have been
receptive to me and my Myte of
coaching I don't know if we
would have been able to win >9
game* If they hadn't,* tald
SpoelMra. who i* in her seventh
year a* a head coach 'They
have been pretty positive —
they are very intelligent player*,
very mature player* I think
what they have reallxed i* that
they have goal* that are bigger
than any problem* In the past *
J
J ffinTiBurgerand Gel \nother J
I f( eyal * kmr **kr) &l hftlf pile? g
. i*M JbWM V3 im
1 Ylonddv - Kr1d.iv 2 00p«n • 4 KJpm and ft (Mfym -10 uopnt I
k ■■ ■■■■hMi *-**>-**777 j
LOOKING FOR COURSES FOR SPRING?
Meet Group II Social Science
Requirements with:
EDUC 111: Educational Issues and Problems
EDUC 211: Historical Foundations of Education
EDUC 212: Foundations of Learning and Intervention
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL
Name# Cirrrn, Lhrrtto*
Aeademie A Student Support Servun
College of Education
£ Mud name# .jpern&et mail uurtgon tdu
® McFarland’$J§.
Irish Automorive
Save 30 to 50%
Ml Lam4 4mm tmmm m»
(34U74I4W
Advertise in
Emerald
Classifieds!
346-4343
BOHB
^ HELP BREAK THE ALL-TIME
►OREGON WOMEN'S BASKETBAa
^ ATTENDANCE RKORO!
^(OMrttw# 7>t1 «HHonk 14.1*4n SmmCM
/W
_
mi armissior for mo stmoirts
WITH CMitliT 10 CARO |