Wednesday
Best Bet
NBA: Los Angeles at Philadelphia
5 p.m., TNT
SPORTS EDITOR: JEFF SMITH Smittside@aol.com
What UO women
need is so close,
yet so far away
Imagine how it feels when you’re running a high fever
— that hot-then-cold feeling when the world spins,
your head aches and your muscles feel empty.
Now, imagine that you’re holding an antidote. “Take
one swig,” the bottle reads, “and that sickly feeling will
melt away.”
There’s just one problem. You can’t pop the lid off the
dam bottle.
After four straight losses, it’s obvious that the Oregon
women’s basketball team isn’t in good health right now,
mentally or physically.
Three of the Ducks’ five seniors sustained injuries.
Heads must be aching, as inexperienced players are not
dealing well with more playing time. From what’s tran
spired on the court this season, “disorientation” could be
another symptom of Oregon’s illness.
No doubt, the Ducks’ stomachs must still be doing som
ersaults. That roller-coaster drop from first to sixth in the
Pacific-10 Conference would make my insides churn.
But, even if it’s no longer ranked in the top-25 polls, you
keep watching this Oregon team. Perhaps you’re feeling
sick too, because you see the seams fraying, and you can
almost feel the pain the Ducks endure with each loss.
And you’re frustrated, very frustrated, because you
know that a possible antidote is oh-so-close.
She’s sitting right there during home games, on the left
side of the bench, decked out in trendy street clothes. And
when the Ducks are looking for that late push to topple
Southern California in the fourth quarter, you are waiting
for her to jump out of her seat, whirl around a few times,
and suddenly be donning a gleaming-white Oregon uni
form — complete with black high-tops, wristbands and a
headband, of course — and you want her to save the day.
There’s just one problem. She can’t.
“I wouldn’t risk a year of eligibility for that,” junior
point guard Shaquala Williams said, brushing aside the
possibility of a late-season return. “I think my future right
now is more important than trying to save the season.”
Williams says she is about “80 percent” healthy from a
torn anterior cruciate ligament that she suffered in Sep
tember. She claims she can run and cut as fast as she ever
PEZ SEZ
Turn to Pesznecker, page 10
Azle Malinao-Alvarez Emerald
Oregon sophomore Tony Overstake played a major role in Oregon’s earlier victory against the Oregon State Beavers at McArthur Court.
Oregon prepares for Civil War
■The Ducks and the
Beavers tangle for the
second time this season in
a crucial Pac-10 match
By Robbie McCallum
Oregon Daily Emerald
There is no love lost between
these two teams.
In the oldest wrestling rivalry
in the state, the Oregon and
Oregon State wrestling teams
get down to business at 7 p.m.
today at Gill Coliseum in Cor
vallis.
“The Civil War is always in
tense,” Oregon head coach
Chuck Kearney said. “This is
our time of focus and prepara
tion, but we’re always going to
get up for Oregon State.”
The No. 17 ranked Ducks (7
7 overall, 4-3 Pacific-10 Confer
ence) look to make a season
sweep of the No. 15 Beavers
(10-7, 6-2) for the first time
since 1996 and only the eighth
time in 47 years.
Oregon defeated the favored
Beavers 22-16 on Dec. 13 for
the first time since 1997.
“We’re looking forward to the
rematch,” Oregon State coach
Joe Wells said. “It's the last dual
meet of the year, and it's only
fitting to get out and try to take
it to these guys.”
Much has changed, however,
since earlier in the season. The
Ducks are the losers of their last
four matches and have dropped
from No. 10 to No. 17 in the na
tional polls.
Oregon State had dropped to
No. 18 in the polls but is back
up to 15th following wins over
Cal State-Bakersfield and
Fullerton State.
Every match is crucial, as
was proved in the earlier Civil
War. Junior Shaun Williams
has three decisions this season
over Oregon State’s No. 9
Nathan Navarro at 125
pounds, as does sophomore
Eric Webb over Beaver heavy
weight Jason Cooley. Webb’s
match-opening pin of Cooley
Turn to Wrestling, page 10
The Civil
War is
always
intense.
Chuck
Kearney
head
coach
Slumping Ducks choose to view bright side of what’s left
Senior Bryan Bracey (42) knows his career is winding down and wants “to end it with a bang.”
■The UO men look ahead
instead of agonize over their
frustrating Pac-10 season thus far
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
It’s not a lovely feeling for these Ore
gon Ducks to be stuck in the lower half
of the conference standings and think
about what might have been.
Oregon (12-9 overall, 3-8 Pacific-10
Conference) had high hopes heading
into league play, but thanks to eight
losses in its past 10 games, it finds it
self in a three-way tie for sixth place.
The players’ frustration is under
standable, considering the fact that the
Ducks were 9-1 before winning their
conference opener against Oregon
State. That winning feeling is long
gone, but the players know that they
still have seven games left to snag a
spot in the NIT.
“It’s hard because I know that if we
got to start our year over, then we’d be
much better,” said senior forward
Bryan Bracey, who is second in the
Pac-10 in scoring with 18.6 points per
game. “We’re at the point now where
we can’t afford to lose any more ball
games. We’ve got seven left that will
determine our postseason.”
The Ducks didn’t practice Monday
and had a shortened practice Tuesday,
in hopes of refreshing their bodies and
minds before their upcoming road trip
north to face Washington State Thurs
day and Washington Saturday.
The attitude Tuesday was surpris
ingly upbeat for a team in a slump, but
as junior Freddie Jones put it, “it’s all
about having fun again.”
“We figure for us to get back on
track, we gotta have some fun,” Jones
said. “Of course we’re disappointed,
but we’re not making so much out of
the disappointment. When we’re out
having fun, that means we’re winning
games and enjoying each other.”
Turn to Basketball, page 10
We’re at
the point
now where
we can’t af
ford to lose
any more
ball games.
We’ve got
seven left
that will de
termine our
postseason.
Bryan Bracey
senior
forward ^