Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, January 20,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NCAA basketball:
Texas vs. Missouri
6 p.m., ESPN
Panova
leads UO
with win
in Seattle
DUCK
TENNIS
The Russian star battles
through injuries to capture her
third straight Pac-10 singles title
By Alex Tam
Freelance Reporter
Winning is becoming common ground
for Oregon junior Daria Panova.
After battling through an injury to her
upper back and left index finger that left
her status questionable before the touma
_ment, Panova tri
umphed to win her
third straight Pacif
ic- 10 Conference
- Women's singles ti
tle this weekend.
The Russian native defeated Daniella
Bercek from UCLA in straight sets, 6-4 and
6-3, to capture the 2004 Pac-10 Indoor
Championship, held at the Nordstrom
Tennis Center in Seattle.
Head coach Nils Schyllander told his
star player after her match that he is proud
of her storied career at Oregon.
"She is probably the toughest person
I've met in my life and the toughest I will
ever meet," Schyllander said. "She is so re
lentless when it comes to competing. She
is a world-class competitor."
The list of accomplishments continues
to grow for Panova after being named the
2003 Pac-10 Women's Player of the Year
and winning both the indoor and outdoor
championships last year.
"Daria is a warrior for us," Schyllander
said. "She is as tough as nails and always
rises to the occasion."
The success did not stop there for the
Ducks.
Senior Davina Mendiburu secured the
Flight IV singles title after defeating Cali
fornia's Monica Wiesener in a hard-fought
three-set match, 2-6, 6-1 and 6-4. It was
one year ago that Mendiburu underwent
reconstructive knee surgery after tearing
her anterior cruciate ligament.
"This was (Davina's) first tournament
since the surgery," Schyllander said. "If she
Turn to PAC-10, page 9
wer.
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
Daria Panova almost did not enter the Pac-10
Indoor Championships due to injury, but
defeated UCLA’s Daniella Bercek to win it all.
Oregon crashes through Cougars
Erik Bishoff Photographer
Brandon Lincoln was given a charge on this play, but it didn't stop the Ducks from a convincing win.
The Ducks took just 37 shots against
Washington State, but still won by 15 at home
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
Let's put Oregon's game against Washington State on Satur
day into context.
Washington, coming off a 10-point loss to the Ducks on
Thursday at McArthur Court, traveled to Corvallis and stunned
_ Oregon State, 103-99, in overtime.
Contrast that with the Ducks' game
against Washington State. It was a contest
that paled in comparison to the speed the
—- Huskies exhibited against the Beavers.
Oregon (8-4 overall, 3-2 Pac-10)
could have only dreamed of 103 against the Cougars. The
Ducks battled, pushed and drove to a 60-45 defeat of Washing
ton State in front of 9,087 at McArthur Court.
Statistics would do no justice to the style of game Washington
State (8-8, 2-4) forced upon the Ducks. However, they would
provide an interesting window through which to view how Ore
gon got its third win of the Pacific-10 Conference season.
The Ducks, to the amazement of head coach Ernie Kent, took
just 37 shots, making 21. Ihey turned the ball over 17 times, but
many of those came during a 9:02 span late in the second half.
During that stretch, the Cougars scored just nine points.
A win is a win, no matter how slow, ugly or sluggish it may
have been.
"The reality of how we played tonight is how we should play
every night," Kent said. "Washington State's style of play really
allowed us to grow as a basketball team."
If the Ducks grew any against the Cougars, it came in baby
steps. Washington State head coach Dick Bennett faced off
against the Ducks for the first time in his career, having come to
Pullman, Wash., at the start of the season.
Oregon forward Luke Jackson said the Ducks knew what Ben
nett would have his team run, especially since it allowed Bennett
to engineer winning teams at Wisconsin from 1992-2000.
"We knew that they were going to try to control the posses
sions," Jackson said. "We tried to speed the game up. Instead
of playing to their game, we executed ours really well."
Oregon's 60 point total was the lowest amount the team has
posted in a game this season, but the 45 it allowed was its best
game — score-wise — this season. The total was also the least
the Ducks have allowed since keeping Southern California to
40 on Jan. 7, 1988, in a 12-point victory.
"I was quite impressed with Oregon, particularly offensive
ly, " Bennett said. 'They get the ball to the right people in a time
ly fashion. We just struggled to put anything in the basket."
The right people for Oregon included Jackson, who posted a
game-high 19 points, and Andre Joseph, who pitched in with
Turn to CRASH, page 10
Home swing provides Ducks
with confidence, vital wins
After losing two road games, Oregon
returns home in fine fashion and
readies for Arizona after two victories
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
There's just nothing like McArthur Court for the
Oregon men's basketball team.
A record of 35-2 on their home court after beat
ing Washington and Washington State this week
end says plenty for the Ducks.
"This was a big weekend for us and we felt like
we were capable absolutely of beating both teams
and we did it one game at a time," Oregon senior
Luke Jackson said. "It feels good."
Entering Thursday's game against Washington,
Oregon had been playing on the road for 29 days.
Five straight road games and a 2-3 record during
the span was a rough stretch for a team that had
been on its longest road trip in seven years.
Oregon had lost two straight to UCLA and Ore
gon State and was in need of a turnaround.
Enter the Huskies, Cougars and now, Oregon's
renewed conviction.
"The confidence is just coming back home here
to Mac Court," Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
"It's such a great venue to play in. Yet, we needed
to get through the Washington games because we
hadn't been here in so long. Our confidence is cer
tainly on the rise now with these two games."
The Ducks had slipped to the bottom half of the
Pacific-10 Conference standings before playing the
Washington schools. Now Oregon (8-4 overall, 3-2
Pac-10) is tied for third with Arizona in the confer
ence's standings.
It hasn't been an easy road for Oregon as of late.
If the extended road trip wasn't enough, Oregon
has had to deal with the loss of freshman Aaron
Brooks at the starting point guard spot.
Without Brooks, Oregon has had to deal with
many different lineups and become accustomed to
three or four people bringing the ball up the floor.
Kent is now confident that his players are where
they should be.
"lay (Anderson) is on his game, obviously Luke
Jackson is on his game, James (Davis) is on his
game, Andre (Joseph) is on his game, Ian (Cross
white) is on his game, Mitch (Platt) is getting back
there right now," he said.
'Then you've got Jordan (Kent), Adam Zahn and
Matt Short still needing to get on their games com
pletely — get their confidence, get their rhythm.
There's still some growth potential in this team."
It was a weekend that allowed Oregon to grow
as a team in seeing two completely different styles
of offense. Washington ran the ball much like Ore
gon is used to and Washington State stuck to head
coach Dick Bennett's traditional half-court offense.
After McArthur Court helped Oregon find some
of the confidence it had lost, the Ducks now must
Turn to CONFIDENCE, page 10
4
Hank Hager
Behind the dish
Bennett's
philosophy
takes time
Dick Bennett entered the 2003-04 col
legiate basketball season with 453 career
wins, making mountains out of mole hills
at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Green Bay and Wisconsin.
With Stevens Point, he made three ap
pearances in the NA1A Tournament. With
Green Bay, he made a team that went 5-23
in the 1985-86 season into one that went
to the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7
record in 1993-94.
With Wisconsin, he took the Badgers to
the Final Four during the 1999-2000 sea
son, eventually ending the season with a
22-14 record.
He retired, only to come back this season
Turn to HAGER, page 10