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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 26, 2003)
Sports Editor: Hank Hager hankhager@dailyemerald.com Oregon Dailv Emerald SPORTS Best bet NCAA basketball: Georgia lech vs. Connecticut 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN Wednesday, November 26, 2003 Jesse Thomas Go the distance Oregon's women deserve spotlight The Oregon men's football team won four of its last five games. Surprising. The Oregon men's basketball team passed its first test via winning its season opening game over Fresno State, the de fending Western Athletic Conference champions. Expected. The Oregon men's cross country team finished 21st in the nation. Respectable. but despite the somewhat successful ef forts of the Oregon men's teams, it's just not their year to shine. Why? This is going to be the year of the Duck women. The year when the women's sports shine true in the finest fashion. The year the women prove they deserve the same respect and fan base that the men's sports attract. It's a revival year. A year when athletes have returned from injuries and regula tions that sidelined them last year. Now those athletes have and will become the stars. Turn to THOMAS, page 6 Oregon’s defense bettering its play The Ducks are improving their defense, as evidenced by consistent rebounding By Jesse Thomas Sports Reporter Oregon is satisfied with its defensive performance in its opening game against Fresno State on Friday night. The Ducks should be. After being out BASKETBALL 0re«on held Fres _ no State to just one offensive rebound in the second half and gained the edge, 31 - 29, by game's end. "We're a better team defensively this year," Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. In their first two exhibitions, the Bull rebounded in the first half, 19-14, Turn to MEN, page 6 Second-half surge nets win for Ducks The Ducks survived their first road test at Gonzaga while Corrie Mizusawa tied an assists record in Oregon’s victory By Mindi Rice Senior Sports Reporter A six-point possession by Oregon's Carolyn Canes and Cathrine Kraayeveld was the final lead change in Tuesday's game. The No. 24 Ducks took charge six minutes into the second half and slowly built up a lead, even tually winning, 73-57, in front of 1,017 fans at The Kennel. "We were struggling a little hit with the first time in a new gym and we were all just trying to get our bearings," Ganes told KUGN after the game. "It was nice to be able to come in and really try to help get the flow of the offense going." The flow turned Oregon's direction when — with the Ducks (3-0) down, 40-39 — point guard Cor rie Mizusawa inbounded the ball to forward Kedzie Gun derson at the top of the BASKETBALL three-point arc. Gunderson - found Ganes inside, and Ganes made the basket and was fouled, giving Oregon the 41 -40 lead. On the missed free throw, Kraayeveld grabbed the rebound and found Ganes inside, where she made the shot and was fouled again. Ganes missed her second opportunity at a three-point play, but Kraayeveld again came down with the rebound. The senior hit a turn around jumper to make it a 45-40 game. After a turnover by Gonzaga (1-2), Ganes made another two-point shot, with an assist by Mizusawa. "That really took the air out of their sail," Ore gon head coach Bev Smith told KUGN after the game . "A big six-point swing with very little time off the clock." The Ducks and Bulldogs went into halftime tied at 28. The teams had six ties and eight lead changes in the first half. "We really had some people step up big time," Smith said. "Particularly Carolyn Ganes. In the sec ond half, she found that space that they were leav ing her with the defensive attention they were giv ing to (Kraayeveld) and she really stepped up big." Ganes came off the bench and scored 15 points as the Ducks' second-leading scorer. Forward Andrea Bills led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds. "Coming into this game, we had a long week off after our tournament," Smith said. "We talked about our 24th ranking, a (Pacific-10 Conference) school coming into (Gonzaga) and we've got to give this our 'A' game." Mizusawa, the junior transfer from Saint Mary's (Calif.), tied an Oregon single-game record with 14 Turn to WOMEN, page 6 Danielle Hickey Senior Photographer Eleanor Haring came off the bench to score eight points in the Ducks’ 73-57 victory against Gonzaga. Rough season leaves Ducks looking for more Danielle Hickey Senior Photographer I Oregon players said they have much to smile about for the future. The Ducks consider the 2003 season a learning experience and are looking forward to 2004 By Jon Roetman Sports Reporter The Pacific-10 Conference can be a rough place for young volleyball players. With athletes like LISC's April Ross, California's Mia lerkov and Stanford's _Ogonna Nnamani 1 i iyr dominating !L# U IrV matches, inexperi VOLLEYBALL enced teams can, _ at times, be over whelmed. With 12 freshmen and sophomores, the Oregon volleyball team suffered through such growing pains this season, finishing with a 3-24 overall record, in cluding an 0-18 ledger in the Pac-10. Success this season, however, was not based solely on wins and losses for Ore gon. With all 14 players expected back next year, the Ducks spent the 2003 sea son learning valuable lessons on what it takes to compete in the nation's top con ference. I lead coach Carl Ferreira said that to ex pea such a young team to be at the top of the Pac-10 immediately would be unreal istic. Instead, players and fans should have patience, and for the time being, focus on the improvements the team made during the season rather than wins and losses. "For us as a program, it's important to understand who we are and what we're doing," Ferreira said. "Society teaches us that the way to measure success is the scoreboard." Turn to VOLLEYBALL page 6
