OREGON 73
Min FG FT R A P
Dion 26 1-4 5-6 1 17
Meharr/ 29 4-9 2-3 4 2 10
Mowe 14 0-2 0-2 2 0 0
Williams 37 5-14 6-7 5 3 16
Strange 36 9-13 3-4 1 2 21
Piers 2 0-1 0-0 11 0
Slireve 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Craighead 18 1-6 0-0 0 1 .3
Woivert 34 6-8 4-6 11 2 16
Unaka 3 0-1 Q-Q 3 0 0
Totals 200 26-58 20-2828*12 73
Shooting: 44.8 3-point:1-7 (Craighead 1-3,
Williams 0-2, Dion 0-1, Meharry 0-1 j
‘includes 3 team rebounds
OREGON DUCKS VS. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES
Player of the Game
Senior guard Nicole Strange
connects on her first five
shots and finishes with a
career-high 21 points to lead
the Ducks to the 20-point
victoiy over the Hokies.
Quote of the Game
"It was really weird — /
swear they dldn’t know I
was on the court. I don’t
think anyone was guarding
me,, but I liked it. ”
— Nicole Strange, UO guard
VIRGINIA TECH 53
Min FG FT R A P
Hicks 36 7-18 1-2 9 1 20
Williams 37 6-11 4-5 14 0 16
Jones 36 4-6 1-2 9 3 9
Upton 18 0-1 1-2 0 0 1
Wetzel 39 1-6 3-6 3 5 5
Starling 27 0-5 1-2 1 2 1
Seaver 7 Q-Q 1-2 1 o 1
Totals 200 18-47 12-2140*11 53
Shooting: 38.3 3-point: 5-14 (Hicks 5-12, Wetzel
0-2)
'includes 3 team rebounds
Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Sports Editor: Tim Pyle
Best Bet
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Ducks stomp No. 21 Hokies for title
■ No. lb Oregon beats No. 21
Virginia Tech by 20 points to win
the Pepsi Shootout at home
By Mirjam Swanson
Oregon Daily Emerald
So much for making it easier to at
tract quality teams to McArthur Court.
The No. 16 Oregon women’s basket
ball team (3-0 overall) proved most in
hospitable as it stormed through its own
Pepsi Shootout during Thanksgiving
weekend. The Ducks demolished
Howard (0-3) 77-42 on Friday and then
kept No. 21 Virginia Tech (2-2) at bay,
winning 73-53 in front of a spirited 4,686
in Saturday’s championship game.
“This is a hard place to play,” Hokies
guard Sarah Hicks said. “I didn’t realize
it until we walked in, and I saw ‘The
Pit.’ I’m like, ‘The Pit? What’s the Pit?’ I
found out tonight.”
Jody Runge knows exactly what
Hicks was talking about.
“If it’s a neutral court, things could
have been different,” the Ducks’ head
coach said. “Our home-court advan
tage is huge.
“We’ve been finding it difficult to get
people to come and play us for a long
time. More than being a good basketball
team, I think it’s that we’re a long ways
away. [Virginia Tech and season-open
ing opponent Western Kentucky] trav
eled a tremendous distance to come
here.”
Of course, the “good basketball
team” part of it has a lot to do with it
too, even for other ranked teams.
It’s far from easy, facing a team that
goes at least nine players deep — all of
whom represent legitimate weapons.
Oregon’s biggest weapon against the
Hokies: Nicole Strange.
The senior guard shot the lights out,
finishing with a career-high 21 points
on nine-of-13 shooting in claiming
tournament MVP honors.
Turn to Women, Page 9
'
.
John Stoops for the Emerald
Strange ensures
that Hokies pay
for their strategy
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
Virginia Tech walked onto McArthur
Court with a plan to beat unbeaten Ore
gon — drop a player from the wing,
then double team the Ducks’ skilled
post players.
On a different night, the plan may
have worked. But on Saturday night,
something Strange happened.
And her name was Nicole.
The Oregon se
nior guard, who
had two points in
17 minutes against
Howard on Friday
night, torched the
Hokies and fin
ished with 21
points on nine-of
13 shooting. Her
21 points is a ca
reer high, eclips
ing the 13 points
she scored against Nevada-Las Vegas in
December of 1996.
“It was really weird — I swear they
didn t think I was on the court,” Strange
said. “I don’t think anyone was guard
ing me, but I liked it.”
For much of Strange’s 36 minutes on
the floor, she wasn’t guarded. Strange
was apparently the player chosen by
Virginia Tech to leave open, enabling
the double teams down low.
In the second half, Strange delivered
an assist to Lindsey Dion on the Ducks’
opening possession. Soon after, she
sank two more jumpers in less than a
minute, putting Oregon up 44-27 with
15 minutes, 55 seconds remaining.
Turn to Nicole Strange, Page 9
Ducks to meet l\lo. 13 Minnesota
The Ducks’ Dec.
31 Sun Bowl
opponent is the
8-3 Golden
Gophers, who are
enjoying their
first winning
season since
1990
By Tim Pyle
Oregon Daily Emerald
Preparation for the Sun Bowl went from
one extreme to the other for the Oregon foot
ball team Wednesday when it was announced
that the Ducks will face No. 13 Minnesota, not
No. 20 Purdue, in the Dec. 31 game.
The Golden Gophers (8-3 overall, 5-3 Big
10 Conference) feature a punishing defense
and a conservative, run-driven offense —
styles that are a far cry from the Boilermak
ers’spread attack.
Purdue (7-4,4-4) was expected to be Ore
gon’s opponent, but the Outback Bowl se
lected the Boilermakers as its Big 10 repre
sentative, and the Alamo Bowl chose Penn
State. That left Minnesota or Illinois, and
Sun Bowl officials promptly extended an in
vitation to a surprising Golden Gopher team
that will be making its first bowl appearance
in 13 seasons.
Ducks head coach Mike Bellotti admitted
Wednesday his lack of immediate knowl
edge about Minnesota.
“I do think I caught a couple of not full
games, but I did watch Minnesota play a little
bit,” said Bellotti, who has earned his fourth
bowl game in five seasons as head coach.
Golden Gophers’ head coach Glen Mason
was eqy ally in the dark about the Ducks.
“We’re ecstatic about being involved in
the Sun Bowl, said Mason, who is a finalist
for college football coach of the year. “I’m
somewhat familiar with Mike Bellotti and
the Oregon program and anticipate a very
good football team.” <•
The Golden Gophers are led offensively
by running back Thomas Hamner and quar
terback Billy Cockerham. That senior duo ig
Turn to Bowl game, Page 9
Scott Barnett Emerald
Reuben Droughns and the Ducks will face No. 13 Minnesota in the Sun Bowl.