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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2003)
Sports Editor: Peter Hockaday peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com Monday, January 13,2003 -Oregon Daily Emerald Sports Best bet Oklahoma at Oklahoma State 6 p.m. ESPN UO blown out of Bay Area by Stanford The Ducks suffer their second straight loss, an 81-57 blowout in Palo Alto, and fall to 1 -3 in the Pac-10 Peter Hockaday Sports Editor STANFORD, Calif. — Luke Rkl nour hobbled through a tunnel at Maples Pavilion after answering the media's questions Saturday night, his head down, leaning on assistant coach Mark Hudson for support. lie found his way to the basket ball floor, where his parents were waiting for him. They gave him a big. long hug. 1 Ie needed it. Despite Kidnour's best efforts, No. 12 ()regon was blown out of the Hay Area, suffering its second loss of its first Pacific-10 Conference road trip of the season. This one was an (SI-57 loss to Stanford in front of a national television audi ence and 7,054 fans in Palo Alto, hut it felt eerily similar to the Ducks’ loss Thursday in Berkeley. (fpponent lights it up. ()reyon can’t respond. 1 kicks yet buried early. It must he had when the normally soft-spoken Kidnour says this: "We’re pissed off. We got our ass kicked twice in a row on this trip." Indeed. ()regon went down by 10 points eight minutes into Satur day's contest, and never put togeth er an offensive run to get back into the game. The Ducks shot just dd.d percent from the floor, and Kidnour was the only Oregon player to score in double digits, lie had 10 points in dd minutes, despite spraining his left ankle in the Cali fornia game. “Mentally, we re all down, 1 know I m down,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “Physically, I can’t say enough about Luke Uidnour. Hut we re a little banged up.” Oregon was banged up on the boards all night by Stanford, anoth er item to file in the “broken record” Turn to Men's, page 9 Powell’s free throws sink UO women Oregon comes back from 1 5 down but can’t pull out a win over No. 6 Stanford Women’s basketball Hank Hager Sports Reporter It was a bittersweet ending to an otherwise spectacular game for the (fregon women’s basketball team. Nicole Powell's tree throws with 1.3 seconds left ended an Oregon comeback from 15 down, ce menting a 75-74 No. 6 Stanford victory Saturday night in front of a season-high crowd of 5,253 at McArthur Court. All of this after the Ducks seem ingly had iced the game on Car olyn Canes’ free throws with 3.3 seconds left. “You’re always thinking about (the win) at that point, but you're also thinking three sec onds is a long time," senior Alis sa l-'.dwards said. On the immediate inbounds — after a Stanford timeout — T’Nac Thiel’s hail-Marv pass fell into the hands of Powell and in front of sophomore Kedzie Cunderson near Oregon’s three-point line. Powell, with a clear path to the hoop, streaked toward the basket. With Cunderson trailing, Powell went up for a layup, but was blocked by sophomore Brandi Davis, much to the delight of most in attendance. However, with Ore gon (6-b overall, 2-4 Pacific-10 Conference) fans and players cele brating, Cunderson was called for a foul with 1.3 seconds left, putting Powell at the free-throw line. “It felt like I got hit on the catch, dribble and shot,” Powell said. “I know (Davis) got the ball, but it was body too. 1 just thought it had to be a foul and turned around and saw the ref running up.” "It was just one of those instances where I knew the ball was going to her,” Cunderson said. “I thought I would get in front of her and get the ball. I tried to grab anything possible and grabbed her shorts." “We talked about keeping the ball in front of us," Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. "It was a "We fought hard. We did everything we could. We had people step up big on offense. We gave it all we could." Alissa Edwards senior Adam Amato Emerald Brandi Davis (21) tights for a loose ball with Stanford's Sebnem Kimyacioglu in the Cardinal's 75-74 win. hull of a pass anti a hull of a catch. Kudziu probably did the right tiling. Certainly, wu'd like to have that onu over and had wu huun able to kuup it in front of us. the outcome would've* huun different." Oregon trailed 62-47 with 10:36 left. Hut that's w here the Ducks be gan their comeback. Oregon went on a 14-4 run over the next four minutes to pull within five. They weren't done there as sophomore Andrea Hills' jumper with 3:57 left got the Ducks.within one, 69-6<S. Neither team would trail by more than three from that point on. “We fought hard," Ivdwardssaid. “We did everything we could. We lint! people step up big on offense. We gave it all we could." A layup by freshman Yadili ()k wumalnia with 1 :A2 gave the I )ueks the lead, but Stanford's ( 12 1,4-0) (Ihelsea Trotter then scored two of her 10 points on a layup to give the lead back to the Cardinal. Then it was (lanes’ turn with three seconds left, and two free throws that looked to be enough, lvnough, at least, for two seconds. “Players win games.” Smith said. “Plays don't win games.’’ Kd wards led the Ducks with a career-high 17 points on 6-of-N shooting and was on fire from be yond the A-point arc. The guard made 5-of-0 from downtown. “Alissa Kdwards hit some great "Alissa Edwards hit some great shots. She had that look in her eye!' Bev Smith head coach shots,” Smith said. “She had that look in her eye.” Hills had 16 tor the Ducks, while (lanes (14 points) and (iunderson (Id) also came through on offense. On the night, Oregon shot 51 per cent from the field and was h-of-16 from three-point range. However, the Duck free throw Turn to Women's, page 8 Fans help Oregon in comeback Oregon’s sixth man rocks The Pit as the Ducks rally late, only to fall to No. 6 Stanford Women’s basketball Jesse Thomas Sports Reporter Not even 5,253 fans at MeArthur (iOiirt could help the ()rcgon women’s basketball team overcome No. 6 Stan ford on Saturday night. Hut they came awfully close. With 1.3 seconds left, and the Ducks leading by one, Mac Court erupted in cheers in hopes that Stan fords Nicole Howell, the reigning Pa cific- 10 C< inference I ’layer < if the Year, would miss at least one of her final two free throws. Hut she didn’t. And Oregon suffered a heartbreak ing loss to the Cardinal, 75-74. The loss seemed as hard for ()rc gon’s crowd as it was for the Ducks themselves. ()regon gave its fans plen ty to cheer about as the team kept the game close and put up the kind of tight that was somewhat unexpected. With more than 10 minutes gone in the first half, senior Alissa Edwards hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 16 16 and the crowd erupted in cheer. It was going to be one of those wild nights at The Pit. “The fans are always what help us and we love playing at home,” sopho more Ked/.ie (iundcrson said. “Hav ing them get fired up whenever we make a stop, they are up on their feet cheering and that just makes us want to play even harder.” Hut Stanford finished the first half on a 14-4 run to deflate the Oregon faithful and sent the Ducks into the locker room down 39-2S. With 10:36 left in the game, Stan ford's (Ihelsea Trotter hit a three-point er to give the Cardinal a 62-47 lead. The crowd went silent. Then, Oregon went on a 21-7 run in the next seven minutes. The I Kicks got right back in it, trailing by one at 6N-69. Absolute pandemonium blast ed from the season-high crowd that packed into Mae Court. “Our fans really helped us,” Ed wards said. “Stanford had a hard time trying to get into offenses because they couldn't hear anything. The fans were so loud." ()regon (6-9overall, 2-4 l’ac-10) took a 74-73 lead after two free throws by (lan >lyn (lanes with three sect aids left. “That was the most amazing thing I have seen from a crowd in a basket ball game,” Canes said. “The back Turn to Comeback, page 10