Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Oregon Daily Emerald
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5 p.m., ESPN2
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Ducks take win with final shot in exhibition
Oregon pulls off a close
one in its final exhibition
test despite poor shooting
from the free-throw line
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
Forward Ian Crosswhite was Ore
gon's third option in the Final 33
seconds of Monday's game at
McArthur Court.
Guards Luke Jackson and James
Davis were Oregon's first and sec
ond options. As the defenders col
lapsed on Davis, Crosswhite was
low in the post battling man
to-man.
With a quick turn to the basket,
Crosswhite executed as if there
weren't seven seconds left on the
clock and a 74-74 tie. But there was
a tie, and the game was in its wan
ing moments.
Crosswhite wasn't even expecting
the ball.
"No, I was screening for James,"
Crosswhite said. "He threw an un
believable pass. He got that pass
through there."
Crosswhite's final score gave Ore
gon the 76-74 win in its second and
final exhibition game against the EA
Sports All-Stars.
It was the little things that didn't
go Oregon's way that left it close.
Early in the game, turnovers hurt
Oregon as
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
the Ducks
played un
selfishly. Sec
ond-chance
attempts
didn't go in the basket early on. The
Ducks shot 35.7 percent from the
free-throw line.
"We didn't shoot the ball well at
times," head coach Ernie Kent said.
"We shot free throws poorly, which
gives me some things we certainly
need to work on."
It was Oregon's first true test. Ore
gon had no trouble defeating MBC
Nikolaev in its first exhibition. But
it was a wake-up call that Oregon
needed.
"It was a game that was great for
us to play at this time of year,"
Kent said. "That's a much better
game for us than to beat someone
by 30 or 40. That team was a team
that made us think. They made us
play some tough basketball at
times."
Oregon's test came early on. EA
Sports took a 12-10 lead six minutes
in and held it for nearly all of the
first half. Forward Ed O'Bannon
had 11 of his 21 points in the first 20
minutes. He lead all scorers in the
game.
When forward Maurice Spillars
earned a technical foul with less
than a minute to go in the half, Ore
gon went on a 5-point swing to
lead, 46-40, at halftime. Spillars was
caught having words with Jackson.
"He really wasn't talking to me
that much," Jackson said. "But on
the play before that, he was running
down the floor, and he took a cheap
shot at me and there were some
words said."
Oregon wasted no time to start
the second half. After a Crosswhite
layup and freshman Aaron Brooks'
break away, the Ducks had the
game's biggest lead, 54-43, at 15:35.
But EA Sports made its free
throws and converted on the fast
break and with less than 10 minutes
to go, pulling it to within six points.
EA Sports was 93.3 percent from the
free-throw line, bettering Oregon's
5 for 14 performance.
"We led the league two years in
free throw shooting," Crosswhite
said. "Guys and personally myself
are going to have to get in there late
at night and shoot up a 100 free
throws."
As EA Sports continued to chop
away at Oregon's lead, it was at the
1:47 mark when the teams met at a
deadlock of 74. With the clock
winding down, Davis found Cross
white for the game-winner.
'Two guys came out on me, and I
was hoping 1 wouldn't have to
shoot it, as terrible as I'm shooting,"
Davis said.
Davis had plenty of looks, but
they didn't fall as he went 1 for 7
from the field. Jackson led Oregon
with 17 points in his 34 minutes,
but they all came in the first half.
Brooks had 11 points.
Oregon shot 49.2 percent from the
field. EA Sports was 54.9 percent on
field goals and out-rebounded the
Ducks 32 to 27. The Ducks shot twice
as many three-pointers than their op
ponent, finishing 9 for 26. Jackson
Adam Amato Photo Editor
Despite the presence of Oregon's Aaron Brooks (00), EA Sports' Dion Bailey was able
to make the layup with 3:16 left in the second half to pull his team within two points.
earned three of those three-pointers.
The Ducks know they have work
to do before they face Fresno State
on Friday night at McArthur Court.
The little things, including free
throw shooting and improved de
fense, top the list.
"Fresno State will be a very athletic
basketball team," Kent said.
'They play a lot of one-on-one
basketball. They've got a pretty good
system. They really pound the glass
very similar to this team."
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@dailyemeratd.com.
Hank Hager
Behind the dish
Don't be
deceived
by second
impression
There were issues Monday night at
McArthur Court.
Issues such as 15 Duck turnovers, 5 of
14 shooting from the free-throw line and
27 rebounds compared to the HA Sports
All-Stars' 32.
Oh, well. Big deal, lime to move on.
Oregon players and head coach Ernie
Kent said after the game they were con
cerned with those numbers, but in an exhi
bition game, those figures really don't mat
ter. Those numbers are just statistical figures
that get wiped out when the Ducks open the
regular season Friday against Fresno State.
Worry then if those kind of figures pop
up again.
With a young team playing at McArthur
Court this season, growing pains are expect
ed. The starting five of lan Crosswhite, Mitch
Platt, Luke Jackson, Andre Joseph and
Aaron Brooks has little experience playing
with each other.
Platt and Brooks started just their second
games at Oregon, and Crosswhite didn't
start lull time last year. Joseph was the sixth
man off the bench in most contests.
The only starter from the game Monday
that saw significant action early on in games
last year was Jackson.
No worries.
The Oregon offense can be described as
high-octane, a run-and-gun kind of fun.
The fans at McArthur are going to be on
their feet more than last season, more so
because of the kinds of plays the Ducks are
able to pull off.
They will be fast and they will be acrobat
ic, which was exactly what the Ducks
showed on Monday.
The problem is, they passed the ball a
little too much and turned the ball over a
Turn to HAGER, page 6
Rodgers proving Tedford right
by having career season at Cal
California defeated Washington by
47 points Saturday with Aaron Rodgers
pacing the Golden Bears’ offense
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
Aaron Rodgers has become the real deal at California.
The junior from Chico, Calif., was one person named
the Pacific-10 Conference's Player of the Week on Mon
day after throwing for 348 yards against Washington on
Saturday. His scintillating per
formance came as the Golden
Bears handily defeated the
Huskies, 54-7, for their sixth win
of the season.
California needs one more
win — its final game of the sea
son coming against Stanford on Saturday — to become
bowl eligible for the first time since 1996.
"They've been playing well lately," Rodgers said of the
PAC
io
game next week. "We're going to have to play another
good game. It's going to be a big game, the big game.
Ihere are a lot of bowl implications on the line for both
teams, so it should be interesting."
The first of Rodgers' 20 completions came just 18 sec
onds in the game and made a statement to the home
crowd that the Bears are for real. Wide receiver Geoff
McArthur found a seam in the Washington defense and
sprinted for a 79-yard touchdown reception.
Cal scored four touchdowns and two field goals in its
first six possessions.
The Golden Bears didn't punt the ball until 2:11 re
mained in the third quarter.
"We couldn't stop anything they were doing," Wash
ington defensive tackle Terry Johnson said. "They were
prepared for our schemes."
Rodgers has been the catalyst of the California offense
that has helped lead the team to three wins in its last four
games. In two of those three wins, he's passed for more
than 300 yards.
Turn to PAC-10, page 6
Mark McCambridge Photographer
‘Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) has been the catalyst for the Cal offense, which has paced the
Golden Bears to three victories on their last four games.