Oregon daily emerald., January 09, 2004, Image 7

Sports Editor
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Friday, January 9,2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NHL:
Colorado vs. Chicago
5 p.m. Sunday, ESPN2
Ducks look for first Pac-10 win
Oregon needs to improve
in several key areas if it wants
to defeat Oregon State
in the Civil War on Saturday
The Oregon women's basketball team
hosts Oregon State Saturday in search of
its first Pacific-10 Conference victory.
Standing in the Ducks' way is a Beaver
team looking for its first ever 4-1 start to
conference play. Oregon State (9-4 over
all, 3-1 Pac-10) has won seven of its last
nine games, including three in a row in
the Pac-10.
single players. Oregon's struggles with the
loss of senior All-American candidate
Cathrine Kraayeveld to a knee injury have
been well documented. Oregon State,
however, has benefited from the addition
of Shannon Howell.
The junior transfer from Nebraska be
came eligible to play Dec. 27 due to NCAA
Division I transfer rules. The 5-foot-9
guard averaged 22.5 points per game over
her first four contests, including 32 points
in a loss to then No. 9 Stanford in her first
game back.
Since Howell became eligible, Oregon
State is averaging 72.3 points per game,
compared to 64 .1 in nine games prior.
The Beavers have also been getting sol
id contributions from their trio of seniors
in the starting lineup. Guard Leilani Esta
van, forward Hollye Chapman and center
Brina Chaney are all averaging more than
eight points per game and supply team
mates with leadership.
"The Beavers are very tough," Oregon
head coach Bev Smith said. "They've got a
very experienced and veteran team. I think
they're on a mission as seniors."
Oregon (8-6, 0-4) will need improve
ments in three main areas of its game if the
Ducks are going to be competitive against
Oregon State or anyone else in the confer
ence, for that matter.
The first area of concern is rebounding.
Oregon is averaging only 31.3 rebounds
per conference game, while opponents
have snatched 40.5 boards per contest.
"It just has to do with hard work,"
freshman forward Jessica Shetters said.
"We get into position sometimes but we
don't really push people out like we're
supposed to."
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL
The most in
triguing facet of
Saturday's 71st in
stallment of the
Civil War is how
each team has
been affected by
Adam Amato Photo Editor
Andrea Bills (44) leads Oregon with 12.2 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game.
The second order of business is the way
Oregon handles pressure defense. The
Ducks have struggled with turnovers when
opponents have turned up the heat, in
cluding a blown 14-point second-half lead
against UCLA Sunday.
"I don't think that it's the other team's
pressure that's getting to us," senior guard
Kayla Steen said. "I think it's our own
mental mistakes that are getting us."
Finally, the Ducks need to avoid getting
off to a slow start. In four of its six losses,
Oregon has buried itself in a first-half hole
that it wasn't able to crawl out of. The
Beavers are 6-0 when leading at the half,
magnifying the importance of a good start
for the Ducks.
Even if Oregon rebounds, handles
pressure well and gets off to a good start,
beating the Beavers will still be a chal
lenge. After being picked to finish eighth
in the Pac-10 Preseason Coaches Poll,
Oregon State is one game out of first
Turn to SLUMP, page A8
Oregon State
gets key boost
from seniors
Three seniors lead the Beavers into Mac Court
Saturday with their best Pac-10 start in eight
years; they look first their second win in Eugene
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
Oregon State women's basketball is third in the Pacific-10
Conference with a 3-1 record two weeks into conference play.
After a 15-15 finish in the 2002-2003 season, the Beavers were
picked in the Pac-10 media and coaches polls to finish eighth.
But three of Oregon State's seniors are trying to prove the
coaches wrong.
Led by Leilani Estavan's 10.7 points per game, Hollye Chap
man's 6.4 rebounds per game and Brina Chaney's 2.5 blocks
per game, the seniors have helped the Beavers to their best con
ference start in eight seasons.
"There's a lot of maturity on this team," head coach Judy
Spoelstra said Tuesday. "We're right where we want to be, right
where we thought we would be."
Right where they want to be with a 9-4 overall record, two
consecutive conference Player of the Week awards — includ
ing one for Estavan — and their only conference loss to then
No. 9 Stanford.
The three starting seniors — Estavan, Chapman and Chaney
— have played in all 13 games, while Estavan and Chaney
have each started every game.
Estavan is Oregon State's starting point guard. While her
points-per-game average is down slightly from last year's
12, Spoelstra said the senior from Los Angeles is playing
things right.
"You want somebody who can score for you, run the of
fense, have a lot of basketball savvy, high basketball IQ, hustles
everyday in practice and is a leader," Spoelstra told the Daily
Barometer. "All those kind of things — that's (Estavan)."
She's 40 assists from breaking the Oregon State all-time
career assists record. She needs 63 points to become one of
13 Beavers to score 1,000-plus points in their career.
Chapman might beat her to the 1,000-plus point list, how
ever. The senior from Cottage Grove is 45 points shy of the
1,000-point mark and averaging an identical 10.7 points per
game, compared to Estavan.
"Chapman is somebody we have really tried to push scor
ing and shooting a lot more," Spoelstra said.
The forward scored a career-high 355 total points in 30
games her junior season. Through 13 games this season, she
and Estavan lead the team with 139 total points.
The final piece of the senior puzzle is Chaney, a Bothell,
Wash., native. The center was second in the Pac-10 last season
with 70 blocked shots and has 32 already this season.
"Chaney is an outstanding leader," Spoelstra said. "She
takes care of the little things off the floor for the players."
She needs just five more blocked shots to become the
Turn to SENIORS, page A9
Oregon, Oregon State looking
to get back on winning track
The Ducks and Beavers are
both coming off tough losses
on Sunday in Los Angeles
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
Saturday marks the third game of
the Pacific-10 Conference season for
the Ducks, but more importantly, it
begins an important stretch for head
coach Ernie Kent's team.
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
That is, Ore
gon takes on
Oregon State
in Corvallis,
which is the
first of three
games in two weeks against North
west foes. After the Ducks take on the
Beavers, Oregon hosts Washington
and Washington State next week.
The three teams represent a recipe
of success for the Ducks, who have
gone 24-7 over the past five seasons
against them. That, however, is not on
the Ducks' minds.
Throw out Oregon's 9-1 record
against the Beavers in the past five
years. That has no bearing on the
game that will begin at 7:30 p.m. at
Gill Coliseum.
Bear in mind, the Beavers are still
winless in conference play, having lost
to UCLA and USC last week.
"I think that would make any team
dangerous," Oregon guard Brandon
Lincoln said. "They definitely are hun
gry and they definitely will come out
and fight hard. Looking at us as a
team, we just want to come out, play
hard and get some things done. We
just want to compete with them."
Oregon (6-3 overall, 1-1 Pac-10),
too, is coming off a shaky outing
against the Bruins, losing 81-74, but
trailing at one point by 22. The Ducks
also will be without the services of
point guard Aaron Brooks, who in
jured his hand in the first half. Lincoln
will be making his first career start in
an Oregon uniform.
The Ducks, to say the least, are still
Turn to CIVIL WAR, page A8
Andre Joseph
(35) and the
Ducks will play
their first game
without point
guard Aaron
Brooks when
they visit Oregon
State on
Saturday.
Emerald