Sports Editor:
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, January 8,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
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Vacation? Wrestling faces top competition
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Sophomore Martin Mitchell (top) provided Oregon with a spark when they were down to Oregon State in the Ducks'
first match of the break. Mitchell pinned his opponent and Oregon went on to win the match.
Oregon wrestled a difficult
winter break schedule, coming
back to beat in-state rival Oregon
State, and losing to Nebraska
Wrestling
Mindi Rice
Freelance Sports Reporter
After earning a hard-fought victory
over Oregon State to begin their winter
break competition, the wrestlers on the
Oregon squad thought they were on the
road to looking good this season.
Then came two losses to national pow
erhouse teams where the Ducks were
dominated. Those losses were sandwiched
around a sixth-place finish behind two
conference foes at a national tournament.
Now Oregon needs to focus and get
back on track to where it was during the
Civil War meet.
Against Oregon State on Dec. 13, the
Ducks went down 6-0 before sophomore
Shane Webster took out his Beaver oppo
nent 8-4 in the 174 weight class. Oregon
State got its momentum back, however,
and won the next three matchups.
Down 15-3, sophomore Martin Mitchell
and the 125 weight class came next.
“I went in with the mindset that one of
us was going to have to score bonus
points,” Mitchell said.
Earning the pin at 2:28 into the first
period, Mitchell gave the Ducks six points
and their much-needed pick-me-up.
“That was huge,” senior Tony Over
stake said. “His pin turned the tides.”
Redshirt junior Jason Harless followed
Mitchell with a dominating performance
in the 133 class, winning 10-6. Senior
Casey Hunt started his match strong and
held on to win 6-3 in the 141 class, tying
the score at 15.
In the battle of the Tonys, Overstake and
Oregpn State freshman Tony Hook had the
deciding match of the night. After a quick
takedown by Hook, Overstake controlled
the rest of the matchup, winning 9-3 and
earning Oregon the 18-15 win.
“We’re getting started in the right di
rection,” Mitchell said after the Civil
War match.
The next night, Oregon came out flat
against No. 12 Nebraska.
Redshirt junior Jake Leair won the
197 match, scoring Oregon’s only
points in the match. Nebraska took
three major decisions and won the rest
of the matches on decisions, overpow
ering the Ducks 30-3.
Leair had three takedowns and one es
cape, winning his match 7-1.
“It’s important to go out and win every
time, but it’s more important that your
team scores points,” Leair said.
Scoring points was something the
Ducks were able to do at the Dec. 19
Reno Tournament of Champions,
where Oregon finished sixth in the 22
team pool.
Senior leaders Hunt, at 141, and Over
stake, at 149, both took second in their
weight classes. Both wrestlers lost to top
10 ranked wrestlers from future oppo
nents in the championship matchup.
Webster lost to the ninth-ranked
wrestler in his weight class, but came
back to win the third-place match. Red
shirt sophomore Luke Larwin finished
fourth in the 165 weight class, bouncing
back from losses in both dual meets.
Among the eight Pacific-10 Conference
teams competing, Oregon finished third.
Arizona State took third place overall, lead
ing the way for the Pac-10. Defending Pac
10 champion Boise State took fourth over
all, finishing just behind Arizona State.
Friday the Ducks take on four teams in
the Redmond-hosted Oregon Classic.
Oregon will compete against No. 12 Cen
tral Michigan, No. 17 Wisconsin, Pacific
and Pac-10 foe Cal State Fullerton.
De-ranked Ducks
Overstake, who won his last matchup
at the Jan. 4 meet against Michigan,
dropped from the 149 class individual
rankings in the most recent poll. Senior
Eric Webb also was dropped from the
rankings, leaving Webster as the only in
dividually-ranked wrestler on the Oregon
squad. Webster moved up to No. 8 at 174
Turn to Wrestling, page 12
Duck basketball flies high and low over winter break
WOMEN—After suffering
adversity over break, Oregon
is looking for a way to win
Women’s basketball
Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
The Oregon women’s basketball team
went through a rollercoaster ride over
winter break, everything from losing
players, to injuries, to the start of Pacif
ic-10 Conference play.
The Ducks managed a 2-3 record and
went 1-1 against the Southern California
schools to begin conference play.
And amidst the three-week turmoil,
Oregon suffered three injuries and lost one
player because of medical circumstances.
The Ducks fought through the adversity
and saw their share of ups and downs.
Santa Clara 88, Oregon 79
Santa Clara came to town a few days
after the end of finals, Dec. 15, and
turned the game into a shootout, one
that the Ducks lost.
It was raining from downtown for most
of the game as Oregon hit a school-record
13 of 29 shots from three-point land. The
Broncos would match the Ducks’ intensi
ty and shoot 12-of-21 from beyond the arc.
Oregon led most of the first half and
into the second, but the Ducks would
only hit three of their 13 3-point at
tempts, and it wouldn’t be enough.
Junior forward Gathrine Kraayeveld
led the team with a career-high 33 points,
24 of which came in the first half. Sopho
more Andrea Bills added nine points and
nine rebounds.
“We just lost all momentum, and they
came back to win,” Bills said. “It was a
disappointing loss, but we try to play
through it and go on.”
Oregon 65, Montana 60
Oregon would not be denied again as
the Ducks traveled to Missoula, Mont., on
Dec. 19 to defeat the Griz for their first
road victory of the season.
Behind Kraayeveld, who scored 18
points and notched a career-high 22 re
bounds, and junior Kayla Steen, who
added a career-best 14 points, the Ducks
ousted Montana in Dahlberg Arena.
The Ducks trailed 58-57 late in the
game, but after back-to-back layins for
Oregon and two blocked shots by
Kraayeveld, the Ducks were able to se
cure the win to move to 4-4.
Turn to Women's, page 12
Danielle Hickey Emerald
Senior guard Alissa Edwards (12) and the Ducks emerged from the
break with a 2-5 record over a holiday marred with injury.
MEN—Oregon has one major
hiccup in New York during an
otherwise-successful break
Men’s basketball
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
Over winter break, the Oregon men’s
basketball team broke open a few games,
broke down once, broke away from the
rest of the Pacific-10 Conference, and, fi
nally, broke a home winning streak.
All while the students of the University
were on break.
So, in deference to those students, we
here at the Emerald will break it down.
Winter break, that is.
Oregon 105, Pepperdine 90
The Ducks came off their big win in
the Pape Jam over Kansas with another
big win, this one proving Oregon could
beat an upstart team on the road; in this
case, West Coast Conference trouble
maker Pepperdine, in Malibu, on Dec. 15.
Ernie Kent’s 100th career victory7 came
in true Oregon style, with the Ducks run
Turn to Men's, page 10