Women can’t catch a break during winter break
December... that month that most
of us look forward to and the one
that gives us a break from the stress
es of our everyday lives at Oregon.
A month full of joy, presents and
putting on weight. A month of hot
buttered rum,
red wine and
our chance to
take three
weeks off. For
the most of us,
that is.
For the Ore
gon athletes,
they get no
break. And for
the Oregon
women’s bas
ketball team,
they couldn’t catch a break.
The Ducks could never get ahead
of the game. And now, with the start
of Pacific-10 Conference play, the
Ducks, who at one time were flying
Jesse
Thomas
Go the distance
high, have began a downward spiral.
To start, Oregon is now three play
ers short of where it began. First it
was senior Shaquala Williams, origi
nally suspended for disciplinary rea
sons, then suspended for good just
five days later.
So they lose their star, All-Ameri
can candidate, poster child, less than
a month into the season. Big deal.
The Ducks lose three of their next
four games.
Then, on Dec. 23, Oregon says
good bye to sophomore forward Amy
Parrish, who leaves the team be
cause of medical reasons. Not a huge
loss, though, as Parrish was only a
contribution from the bench to
cheer on her team.
And Oregon’s most recent
downfall is the loss of junior All
American candidate Gathrine
Kraayeveld. She developed a staph
infection in her right knee and is
expected to miss at least six
weeks, or the next 12 games.
Kraayeveld has led her Ducks in
points, rebounds and field goal
percentage, and ranks in the top
10 of the conference in the three
categories.
Also, during December, the team
watched as senior Alissa Edwards
encountered a severe ankle sprain,
which she plays on. Sophomore
Kedzie Gunderson wears a face
mask, because of a broken nose.
Both injuries occurred in the same
play in the game against Montana.
Oregon is clearly a very bruised,
very battered basketball team that is
searching for a way to start winning
again. And they have yet to find it.
In the last five weeks, the Ducks
have gone 4-5 and have been
outscored by their opponents, 704
654. Oregon has lost two straight
and started 1-3 in conference.
Oregon has been defeated by a
combined 69 points in its last
three losses.
Would you like more ugly statis
tics, which prove how much Oregon
desperately needs to get its act to
gether fast? Well, you are going to
get some whether you like it or not.
Oregon is getting outscored by an
average of seven points per game,
with an average of 67.8 points per
game. The Ducks have a 1-6 record
when they score fewer than 70
points in a game.
Oregon has been outrebounded
in each of its last five games, and
the Ducks average about four few
er rebounds than their opponents.
When Oregon can win the battle
of the boards, it has gone 3-0 in
such contests.
Oregon also loses the assist mar
gin and turns the ball over an aver
age of almost three times more per
game than its opponents.
What do the Ducks have going for
them? The free-throw shooting has
been steadily increasing and the
Ducks do average more blocks per
game than their opponents.
And with Oregon’s next two games
at home, it looks promising, as the
Ducks are over .500 when the play
in the confines of McArthur Court.
Overall, the numbers show that
Oregon has become locked into a
tailspin and for any chance at the
NCAA Tournament, they need to
do a 360 degree turn, and fast.
Every team goes through its hard
times, and the ones that become
champions are the teams that recov
er. Oregon still has a lot to prove to
its fans, to the media, but mostly to
itself. The numbers are what they
are, but there are still 14 regular sea
son games left to change that.
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com.
His views do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Women's
continued from page 11
“Hats off to Arizona,” Smith
said. “They really crashed the
boards, and we didn't meet their
intensity. We weren't very aggres
sive, and we allowed Arizona to get
into their game.”
Oregon shot just 40 percent from
the floor, but was 9-of-19 from be
yond the arc.
However, the Ducks were played
poor defense, evidenced by Krista
Warren’s 18 points and nine re
bounds, and Shawntinice Polk’s 16
points and 11 boards.
Overall, Oregon was outrebound
ed, 50-27, and just generally out
skilled by the Wildcats.
“Polk is a very good player, and
we didn't make her pay a price when
she had the ball,” Smith said. “We didn't
batde hard enough down low, and our
post players need to realize that they
have to come with more firepower. ”
If anyone on Oregon did capitalize
— at least on offense — against the
Wildcats, it would’ve been Bills and
freshman Carolyn Ganes. The duo
combined for 30 points, with Ganes
leading the way at 19.
Oregon’s loss to Arizona also
marked a milestone. The win was Ari
zona head coach Joan Bonvicini’s
200th with the Wildcats and was her
525th career victory in 24 seasons
with Long Beach State and Arizona.
Oregon must now regroup and look
for its second and third wins of the Pac
10 season. But it won’t come easy.
The Ducks host California Thurs
day at McArthur Court at 7 p.m. Ore
"Hats off to Arizona...
they really crashed the
boards and we didn't
meet their intensity "
Bev Smith
head coach
gon swept the Golden Bears last sea
son, but struggled in a 65-53 victory
in Berkeley.
The true test will be against No. 6
Stanford Saturday at 7 p.m. at The Pit.
The Cardinal have won the last three
contests between the teams, and re
cently returned star forward Nicole
Powell to the lineup.
Contact the sports reporter
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
Oregon center Carolyn
Ganes (15) and the other
Duck forwards and centers
have been trying to make up
for the absence of Cathrine
Kraayeveld, but have
struggled without her.
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
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