Sports Editor:
Adam Jude
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Assistant Sports Editor:
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Best Bet
NCAA basketball:
Missouri at Kansas,
6 p.m., ESPN
Monday, January 28,2002
Men survive Cougs’ best try to stay ahead of Pac
The Oregon
men’s basketball
team gets out
of Washington
with a split and
a share of the
conference lead
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
For the second game in a row, a team
played up to the Oregon men Saturday
night, but this time the Ducks stomped
them down.
Oregon (15-5 overall, 7-2 Pacific-10
Conference) stayed atop the Pac-10
standings by beating Washington State
(4-14,0-10) 94-86 in Pullman. The Ducks
got career highs from sophomore guards
James Davis, who netted 21 points, and
Luke Ridnour, who scored 24.
“We knew that team wasn’t going to
come in here and quit,” Oregon head
coach Ernie Kent told KUGN-radio after
the game. “Especially with the Pac-10
Tournament sitting down there, these
teams all have some
thing to play for, and
they need Ws.”
Kent was referring
to Washington
State’s play, which
was above average
for the team that has
yet to win a Pac-10
contest. The Cougars’ 86 points were
well above their per-game average of
71, and were the most for Washington
State in league play this year. The
Cougars are playing for a place in the
season-ending Pac-10 Tournament,
which will feature the conference’s
top eight teams only.
“This was their best game of the year,
just like Washington where they came
back on us and everything,” Kent said.
“That’s a credit to coach (Paul) Graham,
because they always, always play hard
up here, which is what makes it such a
tough trip.”
Two days after Washington’s Doug
Wrenn dropped 32 points on Oregon to
Turn to Men’s, page12A
Men’s Basketball
1. Oregon
use
3. UCLA
Arizona
5. California
Stanford
7. Arizona St.
S. Oregon St.
9. Washington
10. Washington St.
Overati Pac-10
7*2 15*4
, 7*2 15*5
6*3 14-5
6*3 13-6
5*3 14*4
5-3 12-5
4-5 11-7
3-6 10-9
2*8 8-12
0-10 4-14
Thomas Patterson Emerald
Senior Edniesha Curry scores two of her eight points Saturday with UCLA’s Brianna Winn (2)
defending. Oregon defeated the Bruins 76-54 to move into a four-way tie for second place.
Healthy again, UO wrestlers
earn two victories on Friday
■ Harless, Overstake and Webster
battled for successful returns
to the mat over Pacific and Central
Washington at McArthur Court
By Chris Cabot
Oregon Daily Emerald
Although Pacific and Central Wash
ington aren’t quite the caliber of oppo
nents Oregon is used to facing, the
Ducks came away from McArthur Court
with two wins Friday night to improve
their record to 5-4 overall.
The Pacific Boxers, a Division III
school, dropped its record to 9-9, while
the Division II Central Washington
Wildcats fell to 7-7.
Oregon has been plagued with in
juries to key wrestlers most of the sea
son, but only Eric Webb’s toe injury re
mains unhealed. The Ducks forfeited
the heavyweight class in both of Fri
day’s meets because of Webb’s injury.
Jason Harless, Shane Webster and
Tony Overstake all returned to the mat
from long layoffs and senior Shaun
Williams is continuing to grow stronger
after battling with an ankle injury.
Williams (125 pounds), who is
ranked No. 13 by Intermat, recorded a
Turn to Wrestling, page 9A
Women get back in Pac-10 hunt
■A 76-54 victory over UCLA puts the Ducks
in a logjam for second place in the Pac-10
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
And then there were four.
With a 76-54 win over UCLA on Saturday at McArthur
Court, the Oregon women’s basketball team is now in a four
way tie for second place in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Arizona State, Southern California and Oregon State are
also three and a half games behind Stanford for first place in
the conference, and all have seven games left.
After sweeping their first weekend series since late De
cember, the Ducks (12-8 overall, 7-4 Pae-10) have brought
themselves back from the depths.
“We looked at this series, thinking that it was probably a
moment where could get some separation,” Oregon head
coach Bev Smith said. “Right now, I think
we’re back in the thick of it.”
The'first 30 minutes of Saturday, night’s
play pointed everywhere but up for Ore
gon.
Shooting a woeful 25 percent from the
field in the first half, Oregon looked more
like a team destined to finish in the bottom
third of the conference. UCLA (5-14, 2-9),
demolished by Oregon State by 45 points Thursday, did not
look much better, but capitalized on Oregon miscues.
The halftime score read something that most wouldn’t
have imagined entering the game. UCLA led 27-26.
Time to panic? Maybe, but the Ducks sure didn’t.
“I think we were able to get over our early woes and put
them away,” junior Shaquala Williams said. “They played
hard, but I think we were just sloppy at points of the game.”
Sloppy may be an understatement. The Bruins were able
to take the ball away from the Ducks 13 times, and scored 13
points off 16 Oregon turnovers.
The Bruins were not much better. Oregon was not as suc
cessful in taking the ball away from the Bruins, recording four
steals, but UCLA could not hold on to the ball. Eighteen Bru
in turnovers led to 23 Oregon points.
Turn to Women’s, page i OA
“We were
able to get
overour
early woes
andput
them away.”
Shaquala Williams
Oregon guard
Pac-10 Women’s
Basketball
Stanford
Arizona St.
Oregon
Oregon St.
use
Washington
Arizona
UCLA
California
Washington St.
Overall
20-1
16-6
12-8
12-9
11-9
11-8
10-10
5- 14
6- 13
2-18
Pac-10
10-0
7-4
7-4
7-4
7-4
6-4
6-5
2-9
1-9
0-10
Senior Shaun
Williams (right)
helped the
Ducks claim two
wins Friday at
Mac Court.
Williams is now
8-2 and ranked
13th in the
nation in the
125-pound
weight class.
Adam Amato Emerald