Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, January 15,2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NHL:
Dallas vs. Colorado
6 p.m., ESPN
True test
comes
against
Huskies
Despite a slow start to the
season, the Huskies will give
the Ducks all they can handle
By Hank Hager
Without Doug Wrenn, who left early af
ter last season in hopes of landing a position
on an NBA team, Washington is (pick one):
foot-6 forward Bobby Jones.
c) A team still looking for its first win of
the conference season.
While head coach Lorenzo Rornar antic
ipates Washington will be at least the an
swers to (a) or (b) in the coming seasons,
the Huskies are still looking to get on the
Pac-10 map.
"The umbrella over all of it is consisten
cy, " Rornar said. "There are times when we
look like a really good team, and obvious
ly from our record there are times when
we don't look so good."
When Washington (5-7 overall, 0-4 Pac
10) visits McArthur Court today at 6 p.m., it
will be the Huskies' fifth Pac-10 game. It is
also the fifth — and perhaps best — oppor
tunity for Rornar's team to pick up a win be
fore playing at Washington State on Jan. 24.
The Ducks and Huskies play games sim
ilar in style. They both like to run, and
speed is a key element in that equation.
Oregon averages 81.4 points per game
while Washington is a shade lower at 79.
Both teams average a little more than 17
assists and 34 rebounds per game.
They're equal, at least based on statistics.
"You can't make many mistakes," Ore
gon forward Ian Crosswhite said. "Maybe
it comes down to who makes more mis
takes, more mental errors."
Some could make an argument that the
loss of Wrenn has hurt the Huskies this
Sports Editor
MEN’S
BASKETBALL
a) A team close to
dominating the Pa
cific- 10 Conference.
b) A team in the
middle of the road,
led by the rebound
ing exploits of 6
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
Oregon’s Ian Crosswhite averaged 14 points per game during the two games against Washington last
season. The Ducks split last season’s series with the Huskies.
season, but the Ducks aren't necessarily
buying it. Wrenn left early for the NBA
Draft after averaging 12.4 points per game
his junior season.
"I think that was kind of good and bad
because he was a very capable player who
sometimes took a little too much atten
tion for himself and not for the team,"
Oregon forward Luke Jackson said. "I
think at times he hurt the team, but he was
a good player. I'm sure they miss him."
Wrenn was not drafted.
While the Huskies are just looking for a
bone to be thrown their way, the Ducks get
Turn to TEST, page 14
Oregon seeks
second victory
of Pac-10 season
The Ducks and Huskies are hoping to put
an end to their losing ways tonight in Seattle
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
The Oregon women's basketball team won its first conference
game Saturday and is hungry for more.
_ The Ducks (9-6 overall, 1-4 Pacific-10
lftffllUl fr m f c* Conference) battle Washington (8-7, 1
%Tf Uifi til 5) tonight at Bank of America Arena in a
BASKETBALL game featuring a pair of teams looking to
- rebound from recent slumps.
Oregon's 56-54 win over Oregon
State on Saturday snapped a five-game losing streak, includ
ing four Pac-10 losses. A combined 31 points from guards
Brandi Davis and Chelsea Wagner was enough to vault the
Ducks over the Beavers.
"We've built a little bit of a log to stand on," Oregon head
coach Bev Smith sad. "We're beginning to shoot the ball a little
better from the outside, and 1 think that has given us some relief
and some confidence that we can do that and will continue to
do that."
Washington has lost five of its last six games, all conference
matchups, after starting the season 7-2. Pac-10 play has been rough
on the youthful I luskies, who lost to USC and UCLA last week.
"It's not a time to panic; it's not a time to lose your head,"
Washington head coach June Daugherty said. "What's important
is that we continue to develop the younger players... and to con
tinue to improve overall.
"We're keeping things positive."
With six freshmen on the Washington roster, the bulk of the of
fensive load has fallen upon the shoulders of three Husky seniors.
Giuliana Mendiola, last season's Pac-10 Player of the Year,
ranks second in the conference in points (19.6) and assists per
game (5.9). The 5-foot-11 guard scored a season-high 30 points
against Oklahoma State on Nov. 29 and had a career-high of 43
against UCLA last season.
Mendiola also leads the team in rebounds per game (6.5),
field goal percentage (.504), three-point field goal percentage
(.446) and steals per game (1.87).
Andrea Lalum ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring at 17.1
points per game, including a career-high 28 points against Maine
on Nov. 22. The 6-foot-4 center can score from anywhere on the
court and is second on the team in three-pointers made (28).
Gioconda Mendiola is averaging a career-high 8.1 points per
game, while playing more than 30 minutes per night. The 5-foot
8 guard has connected on 38 percent of her three-point attempts
and provides a solid third scoring option.
If Oregon can slow Washington's senior trio, the Ducks have
an excellent shot at leaving Seattle with their second confer
ence win. Smith said Kedzie Gunderson, Corrie Mizusawa and
Wagner will likely take turns guarding the Mendiola sisters.
Turn to VICTORY, page 14
Larsen oversees Club lacrosse until NCAA Ducks begin
There’s more than a year left for the
head coach to prepare for her first
year at the helm of UO's program
By Kirsten McEwen
Freelance Reporter
There's a new coach in town.
Jen Larsen, Oregon's newly appointed lacrosse
coach, has been preparing
for Oregon's inaugural
lacrosse season next spring.
In the meantime, Larsen
has been keeping herself
busy. In between recruiting,
ordering new equipment
and scheduling games, Larsen and her assistant
coach, Rob Bray, have found a team to coach and a
match has been made
The Oregon women's lacrosse team has found
what they have been missing — a coaching staff—
and they could not be any happier. After Larsen
and Bray found out Oregon's Club lacrosse team
was coachless and looking for help, they jumped
at the opportunity to share their experience and
knowledge of the game.
Club
Sports
"The Club girls actually came into our office a
couple of times and were just asking for drill
ideas so we just had little x-and-o sessions,"
Larsen said. "At first we just tried to steer them in
the right direction."
But as Larsen and Bray talked more with the girls
and noticed how interested they were in learning
and improving, they wanted to get out on the field
and participate in the team's practices.
"It just seemed like the next direction to go,"
Larsen said. "They had practice going on and we
were just sitting here without a team and they were
practicing without coaches and it seemed like a
perfect fit Once we found out we were allowed to
get involved, everyone was so excited."
After one week of practices, the team had noth
ing but positive things to say about Larsen and
Bray's involvement.
"Jen's a breath of fresh air," team Co-Coordina
tor Marissa White said. "A lot of us have never had
any coaching and it's great to have direction and
leadership. Everyone respects her."
Putting coaching aside, Larsen is down-to-earth,
makes an effort to relate to her players and helps
them enjoy being at practice.
Turn to LARSEN, page 14
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
Jen Larsen (middle), the newly-appointed women’s lacrosse coach, is also busy helping coach the University’s
Club lacrosse team. She will be leading the NCAA team when it begins play next season.