Sports Editor:
Adam Jude
adamjude@dailyemerald.com
Assistant Sports Editor:
Jeff Smith
jeffemith@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, February 14,2002
Oregon Daily Emerald
Best Bet
NCAA: N.C. State at Duke
4 p.m., ESPN
Oregon wrestlers battle back to beat Beavers
■The Ducks turn an 11 -0 deficit
into an 18-14 victory to split the
season series with Oregon State
By Chris Cabot
Oregon Daily Emerald
In front of the 1,289 fans at McArthur
Court, the largest crowd on hand this
season, the Oregon wrestlers came up
with an important Civil War victory.
The 18-14 win improved the Ducks’
record to 8-7 overall and 4-4 in the Pa
cific-10 Conference, while Oregon
State dipped to 11-8 and 6-2 in confer
ence duals.
The Ducks lost the first three matches
to go down 11-0, but stormed back win
ning the next six weight classes.
Junior Jason Harless came up with
the key upset win that helped to turn
the tide in Oregon’s favor. Oregon
State’s senior captain and 133-pounder,
Nathan Navarro, is ranked No. 19 in the
country, but looked almost helpless
against his in-state rival.
Harless came out with a bang, taking
Navarro down 11 seconds into the
match and maintaining top control for
1:22. In the second period, Harless
threw Navarro down for a take down,
earning two points, and then picked up
another three near fall points for keep
ing Navarro on his back.
Prior to Harless’ win, 125-pound
Shaun Williams scored the first team
points for Oregon in his return to the
mat after missing four meets because he
failed to make weight. After the first pe
riod ended with at 2-1 score in his favor,
Williams opened the match up against
Oregon State’s Michael Delaney with a
take down and a three-point near fall.
The match ended with a score of 12-7.
Williams, ranked No. 12 in the coun
try in his weight class, said that he
knew that he could maintain the level
that he has been wrestling at all season.
“I know I’m in shape — good enough
shape to wrestle Pac-lOs and nation
als,” he said.
The 11-0 deficit was not a factor in
Williams’ mind either.
“I didn’t let (the score) bother me at
all,” he said. “I just went out there and
wrestled my match.”
Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney
was pleased with the way Williams wres
tled in his return to dual meet action.
“Michael Delaney has beaten him in
the past, not regularly but has done it
before, and for Shaun to step out and
dominate the action the way he did,
that’s a real good sign,” Kearney said.
After Williams and Harless, Brian Wat
son, Casey Hunt, Tony Overstake and Eu
gene Harri all defeated their opponents.
Hunt, a junior, won the 149-pound
match that put the Ducks on top of the
scoreboard for good beating Jord
an Barich, 5-4. With one minute left
in the match, Hunt was leading 5-2,
but Barich closed the gap with an es
cape and a locking arm penalty called
on Hunt.
“Casey let up a little bit and didn’t
put it away like we hoped he would,
but against Oregon State, a win is a
win,” Kearney said.
The Oregon head coach said that his
team was over-excited heading into the
match, partly due to motivation coming
from the memories of the first Civil War
dual meet of the season that the Beavers
won in a 16-16 criteria decision.
“As a team, we looked like we really
wanted to win this one, and we were a
little bit too up,” Kearney said. “We
needed to settle down a little bit.”
The Ducks did settle down and came
up with a key victory with one dual
meet remaining before the Pac-10
Championships. %
E-mail sports reporter Chris Cabot
at chriscabot@dailyemerald.com.
Adam Amato Emerald
Oregon senior Shaun Williams (right) defeated Oregon State’s Michael Delaney in a 12-7 decision. Oregon won the dual meet 18-14.
Kent asks Pit Crew
to be ‘respectful’
■The Oregon coach modifies his comments
from the USC game after reviewing the situation
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
Fans have been a little naughty. But they’re still good.
That’s the message being conveyed by Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent, who is still trying to put out a fire that started
when Southern California head coach Henry Bibby ripped
Oregon’s students for taunting him during the Ducks’ most
recent home game.
Directly after hearing Bibby’s comments, Kent said, “I don’t
know why that would be said,” and avidly defended his Pit
Crew’s actions. But upon further reflection, Kent said he
wants to make sure the students keep the intensity he loves
without disrespecting opposing coaches or players.
“We can still be the most dominating home court not only
in the Pac-10, but also in the country, yet do it in a very re
spectful and courteous way to our visitors,” Kent said
Wednesday. “It’s important for the students to know that, be
cause we need them to be successful.”
Kent said he felt somewhat assaulted by the media, who
used his hasty comments in many stories the next day.
“I said this is an awesome crowd, this is a dominating
crowd, and that’s all that made the papers,” Kent said. “And
even at that time, I said ‘As long as they handle themselves
the right way, very respectfully.’ But the media doesn’t print
that. I think that’s wrong for the media to do that.”
Kent said he has “put a call in” to Bibby after reviewing the
tape of the game. Kent also wrote an e-mail to the Pit Crew
Turn to Men’s, page 16
UO welcomes Williams into record books
Adam Amato Emerald
Oregon junior guard Shaquala Williams needs just 30 points to move into
ninth place on the school’s all-time scoring list.
■ Shaquala Williams enters the Oregon history
books again with 22 points against Stanford
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
Swish.
Swish.
It may not have been the most poetic way to do it, but
Shaquala Williams’ two free throws nine minutes into last
week’s contest against Stanford moved her into 10th place
on Oregon’s all-time scoring list.
But the way she has been shooting this season, it seems
to be the most legitimate.
“I didn’t even know how I scored it, but (free throws)
makes sense,” said Williams, a junior guard. “That’s
where I’ve been most consistent this season, so to do it
that way is fitting.”
Her two points put the Ducks up by three, but Oregon
eventually fell short in the loss to the Cardinal. Williams’
22 points were a team high, and she was the only Duck to
finish in double figures.
However, that total is far from her career-high 31 points
against Arizona State earlier this season.
“Scoring is just kind of what I do, and I know that I’m
one of the top-10 scorers in the history of the program, and
that’s definitely an honor, but I’m more focused on getting
this team back on track than to break into individual hon
ors,” Williams said.
The 2001-02 season has been a trying year for the junior
from Portland. With a young squad, Williams is looked to as
the team’s main offensive leader. That has led opponents to
focus on stopping just her, forcing others to take shots.
But that hasn’t deterred Williams. In what was supposed
to be her senior year — but isn’t because of a knee injury
Turn to Women’s, page 16