Tuesday
Best Bet
NBA: Philadelphia at Toronto
5 p.m.,TBS
SPORTS EDITOR: jEFF SMITH Smittside@aol.com
ASU still after
its first win
U It’s
been
tough,
but that's
life. We
have to
continue
to battle
and we'll
be better
for it
Rob Evans
head coach
Arizona
■A lack of depth is a key factor
to Arizona State’s 0-7 Pac-10 start
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
Life without Eddie House is taking a
major toll on the Arizona State men’s
basketball team.
The departed sharpshooter, who cur
rently plays for the NBA’s Miami Heat,
carried a team with six true freshman
last year to ASU’s best season since the
1994-95 season (19-13 overall, 10-8 Pa
cific-10 Conference).
The 2000 Pac-10 Player of the Year is
sorely missed in Tempe, Ariz., these
days as the Sun Devils have yet to se
cure a league win in seven attempts.
Arizona State will try to capture its first
Pac-10 victory this week when it visits
Oregon State Thursday and Oregon on
Sunday.
Hope was high for Arizona State as it
stormed out of the gate this season with
seven wins in its first nine games.
“We’re ready to get into Pac-10 play,”
said Arizona State head coach Rob
Evans on the eve of the first league
game.
But looking back on the schedule, it’s
seen that those wins came against
schools such as Winthrop, Southern
Utah, Colgate, Kent State, Mercer and
Belmont.
Ever since the Pac-10 slate began, it’s
been one loss after another, with its
closest defeat coming against Washing
ton on the road (68-70, OT).
And, to add salt to the wound, Ari
zona State had to travel two hours to
Tucson Wednesday and endure a
mocking chant during its 86-75 loss to
rival Arizona.
The Wildcat crowd began chanting
“Oh-and-seven!” after Arizona guards
Jason Gardner and Gilbert Arenas
drained threes to put the Wildcats up
by 19 late in the second half.
But, the Sun Devils didn’t go down
without a fight — literally. After an Are
nas three-pointer went through the net,
Arizona’s 7-foot-l center Loren Woods
and Arizona State’s 6-9 forward/center
Chad Prewitt went after each other on
the floor.
The scuffle escalated when players of
both teams jumped in and had to be
broken up by the referees. After review
ing television replays of the incident,
the officials issued technical fouls to
both Woods and Prewitt.
Woods claimed that Prewitt pro
voked him.
“I kicked him right after he threw an
elbow to my face and knocked me
down,” Woods told the Tucson Citizen.
“I don’t take anything from anybody no
Turn to Basketball, page 4A
Emerald
Krista Warren (left) and the ‘Cats want to snap a three-game skid.
Emerald
Arizona State sophomore guard/forward Justin Allen is out for the season
after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease last September.
Sun Devils at
top of Pac-10
■ Arizona State and Oregon are
tied for first after the Devils beat
the Wildcats
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Oregon women’s basketball team
is about to embark on its toughest road
trip of the season, as it heads to the
desert to take on the Arizona schools.
But something is different.
The Wildcats — who actually
jumped up two spots to No. 23 in the
ESPN/USA Today coaches poll — have
lost three straight games, the latest of
which a 67-57 loss to in-state rival Ari
zona State.
The unranked Sun Devils, however,
have won their last four.
Which game will be more difficult?
Wildcat head coach Joan Bonvicini has
an idea of which team should be
tougher, but isn’t sure if her players will
rise to the occasion.
“I can’t give you a reason why we’re
not playing well enough,” Bonvicini
told the Arizona Daily Star. “But I know
that prior to two weeks ago, we played
hard. We had fun. We played with a lot
of confidence.”
“We have such a young team, a lot of
our bodies right now are breaking
down,” Krista Warren told the Arizona
Daily Star. “It’s affecting our attitude.
And not knowing [that] when that hap
pens, you need to step it up even harder
and play with a lot more heart.”
The Wildcats haven’t lost four
straight games since the 1994-95 sea
son. That streak could be broken Thurs
day against Oregon.
Meanwhile, the Sun Devils and
Ducks are sitting atop the conference,
sharing the Pac-10 lead with 4-2
records.
Arizona State hadn’t beaten the Wild
cats in seven years prior to Saturday’s
win in Tempe, Ariz. The success of the
Sun Devils has brought fans out of the
woodwork, as a Wells Fargo Arena
record women’s hoops crowd of 5,379
watched Arizona fall.
Much of the Devils’ success is due to
the play of center Melody Johnson and
guard Amanda Levens, head coach
Charli Turner Thorne said. Johnson and
Levens sat out last season after transfer
ring from Colorado and Old Dominion.
“When they beat us here at home [last
season], Charli pulls me and Amanda
aside and says they’re not beating us
here again,” Johnson told the Arizona
Republic after Saturday’s win. “I said
that sounds good to me. That was in the
back of my mind today, so I’m glad we
could fulfill that for her.”
If Oregon beats Arizona and the Sun
Turn to Basketball, page 4A
ii We
have
such a
young
team, a
lot of our
bodies
are
breaking
down.
Krista
Warren
Arizona
guard
_n
Duck wrestlers can’t overcome injury in road losses
UO drops
pair of
matches
after top
wrestler
sustains
concussion
By Robbie McCalium
Oregon Daily Emerald
Just when the big green ma
chine gets rolling, a monkey
wrench gets thrown into the gears.
The No. 16 Oregon wrestling
team went through a disastrous
weekend, suffering two narrow
losses in California.
Things started to fall apart even
before the Ducks left Eugene, as
junior standout Shaun Williams
was knocked out of the lineup
with a concussion. The loss
proved to be a major factor as both
matches were decided by seven
points or less. The Ducks gave up
six points with the forfeit at 125
pounds.
“We are a good team and did
some really good things,” head
coach Chuck Kearney said. “But
we’re not quite good enough to
wrestle without Shaun and go
down 12-0.”
On Friday, Oregon visited No.
22 Fresno State. The Bulldogs
jumped out to an early 9-0 lead on
three decisions, including No. 15
Nathan Vazqeuz’ win over No. 19
Eugene Harris.
The Ducks stole the lead with
the bulk of their lineup from 184
pounds to heavyweight. Sopho
more Eric Webb knocked off his
fifth ranked opponent of the sea
son with an upset over No. 2 Billy
Blunt, who was penalized for mis
Turn to Wrestling, page 4A
KEARNEY