daB
Oregon vs. Arizona
Watch out for those Wildcat socks
Fans will be talking about
more than socks as Jason
Terry, the Pac-lO’s leading
scorer, bits McArthur Court
tonight
By Rob Moseley
Oregon Daily Emerald
The first thing you will notice are the
socks.
They are knee-high numbers with the
‘Cats logo emblazoned down the side.
With invisible ankle socks the fad in
college hoops these days, it takes a con
fident player to take the court night after
On Tap
■ WHO: No. 9
Arizona (12-2,4
1) at Oregon (10
5,2-4)
■ WHERE:
McArthur Court
■ WHEN: 7:05
p.m.
mgni wun sucn a
garish look.
Jason Terry is
that player.
“I just feel like
I’m an impact
player when I
come into the
game,” says Ter
ry, who leads No.
9 Arizona (12-2
overall, 4-1 Pacif
ic-10 Conference)
into McArthur Court to face the Ducks
(10-5, 2-4) at 7:05 tonight. “I try to do so
many things it just creates a spark. I get
noticed by that. I just love that idea of
being the underdog and getting points.”
Terry has been getting points as well
as anyone thus far this season. The 6
foot-2, 172-pound senior leads the Pa
cific-10 Conference in scoring with 20.6
points per game, and is first in assists
and steals, with 5.86 and 2.64 per game,
respectively, as the Wildcats’ point
guard.
Terry has scored 20 or more seven
times this season, four more than he had
in his three previous seasons combined.
“We never anticipated him scoring
like this,” says Arizona head coach Lute
Olson. “He didn’t even score like this in
high school.”
To his credit, Terry did average 17
points per game in his senior year of
high school, when he was named the
tournament’s most valuable player after
leading Seattle’s Franklin High to its
second straight state title.
Although he was “the man” at
Franklin, the role of go-to guy as a colle
Turn to TERRY, Page 12
Nick Medley/Ememld
Senior Jason Terry has made the transformation from key bench player for Arizona last season to starting
point guard and Pacific-10 Conference leader in points, assists and steals for the No. 9 Wildcats.
Women
break top 25
The Ducks cannot lose to the
Wildcats as they did when they
were ranked three years ago
By Allison Ross
Oregon Daily Emerald
For the first time since 1995, the Oregon
women’s basketball team has broken into
the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, debuting
at No. 25 on Monday.
Tonight the Ducks (14-3 overall, 5-1 Pa
cific-10 Conference) find themselves in a
similar situation as the 1995 team, which,
after a fast start, headed to Tucson to face
the Arizona Wildcats (7-7, 2-3).
“The last time we were ranked, we went
to Arizona and lost both games,” Oregon
guard Nicole Strange
said. “We have to take it
one game at a time and
know that we have to win
every game and not
think, “Well, we lost one,
we’ll get the next one.”
This season, Oregon
has managed to win every conference game
except for a four-point loss on the road
against No. 10 UCLA earlier this month.
The Ducks led the Bruins by seven points
with two minutes remaining before letting
the game slip away.
Tonight, Oregon will have to play solid
for 40 minutes because both Wildcats’ Pac
10 victories have come on their home
court. Also, a win against Oregon would
put them back to the .500 mark.
“We’re in a position where every team is
crucial for us,” Arizona head coach Joan
Bonvicini said. “Not only to get back in the
Pac-10 race, but just overall wins. 1 think
the key is you’ve got to win your home
games."
Although Arizona ranks fourth in the
conference in scoring and has offensive
threats Felicity Willis, Angela Lackey and
Elizabeth Pickney, the Wildcats face the
conference’s top team in scoring defense.
The Ducks are allowing just 55 points per
game, and that’s without guard Lisa
Bowyer, who’s widely considered Oregon’s
best defender. Bowyer, who broke a finger
against Portland on Dec. 29, could be used
against Arizona if needed, Runge said.
The Ducks are also preparing for Ari
zona's pressure defense. After Washington
State shut down Oregon’s offense for more
than five minutes on Sunday, other teams
may have taken notice.
Turn to WOMEN, Page 8
When a loss is not a loss: UO wrestling team forfeits points
Wrestling
Notes
Scott
Pesznecker
After starting off its season with
victories against UC Davis,
Southern Oregon and Stanford,
the Oregon wrestling team has
slid to three consecutive defeats.
The Ducks deserved to lose at Cal-State
Bakersfield on Jan. 9. The Road Runners’
39-3 blowout was the worst loss by an
Oregon wrestling team in 14 years.
However, the other two losses — Cal
Poly SLO on Jan. 8 and Oregon State on
Jan. 16 — were lost by just one point.
For the past four meets, the Ducks have
had to forfeit at the 133-pound weight
class, giving their opponents an automatic
six points without even having to wrestle.
Unless Oregon suffered a pinning at that
weight class, it would have been able to
pull off wins in both those dual meets.
Head coach Chuck Kearney addressed
the problem, but said there is nothing the
team can do about it at this time, because
the Ducks do not have a certified wrestler
at 133 pounds.
“We had some kids who came back
from summer break who were just bigger,"
Kearney said. "We had one wrestler that
we brought in [freshman Tony Overstake]
and his initial certification was 133, but
he grew two-and-a-half inches from Oct. 1
through Dec. 14. With guys either coming
back bigger or just growing during the
process, we just don’t have anyone to
wrestle there.”
Kenny Cox, who started the season at
133 pounds, moved down to 125 where he
said he is more “weight efficient.” Cox has
found success in the move, with the ex
ception of his recent pin at the hands of
Oregon State.
Sonnen: focusing, yet out of focus
Chael Sonnen, who started the season
No. 4 in the country at 197 pounds,
slipped to No. 9 as he endured some early
season disappointments. Four of his losses
this season have been by two points or
less, two of which were decided in over
time.
But Sonnen has picked up the pace in
recent weeks. He avenged his overtime
loss to Shane Zajac of Oregon State last
November by beating him at the dual meet
against the Beavers last Saturday. In the
last four meets, Sonnen is 3-1.
One thing about Sonnen that has been
consistent throughout the season is his re
laxed nature, regardless of how his season
is going.
Turn to WRESTLING, Page 8
(( We bad one
wrestler that
we brought in
and his initial
certification
was 133, but
he grew two
and-a-half
inches. »
Chuck Kearney
Wrestling coach