Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, April 23, 2001, Image 7

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    Best Bet
NBA Playoffs: Minnesota at San Antonio
6:30 p.m.,TNT
SPORTS EDITOR: JEFF SMITH Smittside@aol.com
Despite sweep, UO gains hope vs. No. 1 UCLA
Jon House Emerald
The Ducks celebrate a two-out, two-run home run by freshman Kate Peterson in the bottom of the
seventh against No. 1 UCLA Saturday. The homer pulled Oregon within one, but it still lost, 4-3.
■ Oregon loses all three games
this weekend, but head coach
Rick Gamez likes the ‘heart’ his
team is showing
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
Baa da baa da badammmmm...
“Charge!”
It’s a familiar trumpet chime at baseball
and softball games, but
one that rarely makes
an appearance at Howe
Field.
If for only an inning
or two this weekend,
though, the charge in
the Oregon softball
team was loud.
The team — for the first time in
weeks — clapped as one, cheering for
what was only imaginable: a win over
top-ranked UCLA.
After falling flat Friday against No. 12
Washington — which showed no mer
cy in a 10-1 thwarting — the Ducks held
their own against No. 1 UCLA Saturday
and Sunday. And despite being swept
in the three games, head coach Rick
Gamez said the Ducks are putting a
charge back in their game.
“Something we talked about after Fri
day’s game was playing with more heart
and pride,” Gamez said after a 6-3 loss
to UCLA Sunday. “We wanted to get
some confidence back and gain some
momentum for the rest of the season ...
and I think that happened today.”
For a change, the Ducks (25-29 over
all, 1-10 Pacific-10 Conference) com
pleted a game without the aid of the
eight-run mercy rule. Starting pitcher
Andrea Vidlund was roughed up for
four runs in the second inning, but the
Ducks responded in their half of the
third with three runs to cut the Bruins’
lead to one.
Turn to Softball, page 10
Some
thing we
talked
about after
Friday’s
game was
playing
with more
heart and
pride.
Rick Gamez
Oregon head
coach yy
Mowe, Wolvert become first Ducks drafted bv WNBA
■ Oregon women’s hoop stars Jenny Mowe and Angelina Wolvert
are now professionals after being selected in Friday’s draft
By Robbie McCailum
Oregon Daily Emerald
For four years, £ faithful contingent
of Jenny Mowe fans from the tiny city
of Powers went to every Oregon
women’s basketball game to watch
their hometown hero play.
The Jenny Mowe fan club won’t
have to travel much farther to see her
play now.
Mowe, a former Duck center, was
dratted Friday by
the Women’s Na
tional Basketball
Association’s
Portland Fire in
the second round
with the 20th
overall pick, be
coming the first
women’s player
in Oregon history
WOLVERT
to oe dratted.
Fellow senior
Angelina Wolvert was also drafted Fri
day. The 6-foot-3 forward/center was
taken in the third round with the 43rd
pick by the Cleveland Rockers.
“They’re very successful-players,”
Oregon head coach Jody Runge said.
“To have two players in the WNBA is a
real compliment to our program. They
haven’t always been acknowledged as
national players, but they did a great
job in the [pre-draft] camps to improve
their standing.”
Mowe, 6-foot-5, and Wolvert were a
force for the Ducks in four NCAA
Tournament seasons and a part of one
of the best recruiting classes in school
history. Mowe finished her career at
Oregon second all-time in blocked
shots (222) and field goal possession
(.573), while averaging 8.8 points, 5.6
rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
Wolvert led the Ducks in scoring
and rebounding this season with 14.1
points and 5.9 rebounds, along with
39 steals, 21 blocks and a .791 free
throw percentage. The Camas, Wash.,
native finished her career ninth on the
all-time scoring list, fifth in field goal
percentage, seventh in blocks and free
throw percentage, eighth in rebounds
and ninth in steals.
“I think Jenny will really blossom,”
Runge said. “Angelina’s a very versatile
post player. She has a lot of offensive
moves to go along with a good post de
fense. I’m really proud of them.”
Mowe and Wolvert were the first
two players selected out of five Pacif
ic-10 Conference draftees. Other con
Turn to WNBA, page 9
Emerald
Jenny Mowe was picked by the Portland Fire in the second round of the WNBA Draft. She was picked 20th overall.
Back-up Feeley off to NFL after being selected by Eagles
Adam Amato Emerald
A.J. Feeley showed no signs of pre-draft .nervousness at Thursday’s Oregon football scrimmage.
■The NFL Draft isn’t kind
to the Ducks, as only one
player hears his name
called
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
A.J. Feeley did Pot start a
game during his senior season.
In fact, the Oregon quarter
back from Ontario played
against only Nevada and Idaho,
where he threw for his season
total of 5 for 13 for 87 yards.
Yet, when the 2001 NFL Draft
came to a close, Feeley was the
only Oregon Duck to be
plucked by a team in the Na
tional Football League. Feeley
was selected by the Philadel
phia Eagles in the fifth round as
the 155th overall pick.
Among those Ducks not se
lected during the two-day, sev
en-round draft included line
backer Matt Smith, punter
Kurtis Doerr, wide receiver Mar
shaun Tucker and defensive
ends Saul Patu and Jason Niko
lao. Smith was listed by The
Sporting News as the best line
backer not drafted.
Despite sitting out last season
behind starter Joey Harrington,
Feeley opened some eyes with
his impressive pre-draft work
outs, and pro teams liked his 6
foot-3, 217-pound quarterback
body.
Feeley began the 1999-2000
season as Oregon’s first-string
quarterback and started the first
eight games en route to a year
where he completed 136 for 259
for 1,951 yards and 14 touch
downs. He gave way to Harring
ton in the ninth game of the sea
son, though, when a nerve
problem in his right throwing
Turn to Feeley, page 9