Oregon daily emerald., January 26, 2004, Image 7

Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Monday, January 26 2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NCAA basketball:
Texas vs. Texas Tech
4 p.m., ESPN
Ducks hit Pac-10 midway point
with last-minute loss to 'Devils
Unelsea Wagner leads the Ducks with 20 points
as Oregon falls to 2-7 in conference competition
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
Fear made an appearance at McArthur Court on Saturday.
For the second consecutive game, the Ducks let their opportu
nities to win slip through their fingers in the final minutes. Ari
zona State picked up the pieces for a 69-67 victory.
"We're scared to win," Oregon guard Chelsea Wagner said.
"We're just holding the ball, hoping the clock will run out and
we'll be ahead. We worked so hard throughout that entire game
for 37 minutes, and we're scared to win. We won't finish if off."
Wagner led the Ducks with a season-high 20 points after com
ing in 35 seconds after tip-off for injured starter Kedzie Gunder
son, who might have a tom meniscus in her knee, Oregon head
' coach Bev Smith said.
The Ducks (10-9 overall, 2-7 Pacific-10 Conference) tried to improve
on the positives from their Thursday loss to Arizona, but when it came
- down to the last four minutes, Oregon found itself on familiar footing.
Ahead by eight, the Ducks went on a dry spell just in time for
___ the Sun Devils to make a 10-point run.
uyfAmcmfc Oregon didn't score another point until
IWllOl Y center Andrea Bills made a free throw with
BASKETBALL 27 seconds remaining to push the Ducks
- to within one, 66-65.
The Sun Devils (12-6, 6-3) scored their
final three points on free throws. Point guard Corrie Mizusawa
made a layup with 1.8 seconds left to cut the score to 69-67, but
the Ducks didn't get another shot attempt.
"Today I felt they were really ready to get it done," Smith said.
"With three minutes left you can almost feel it in Mac Court. It
seems like we're scared to lose."
The Ducks missed four shot attempts in the final four minutes
and had two passes picked off. They committed seven fouls dur
ing that span, including three in the final minute.
"We need to play for 40 minutes," guard Brandi Davis said. "We
have to be able to put teams away."
The loss was Oregon's third in its last four games and its fourth
, at home this season.
"I really believe we're just not aggressive offensively," Smith
said. "We've just got to go out and do it."
Much like Thursday's loss to Arizona, Oregon was outshot on
the free-throw line. With 46 total fouls called Saturday, the Sun
Devils made 82.8 percent of their attempts while the Ducks hit
65.4 percent.
Arizona State was 10 for 14 from the line in the final four minutes.
"Making those free-throws is part of that confidence thing,"
Smith said. "It's where you can put the hammer down. We did a
better job, but it was not enough."
Saturday's loss was the fourth time this season that the Ducks
outrebounded their opponent — grabbing 33 to Arizona State's
32 — and still lost the game. Bills led the way with eight while
Wagner added six.
Erik Bishoff Photographer
Brandi Davis scored 13 points in Oregon’s two-point loss to Arizona State
on Saturday. The Ducks led by as many as eight late in the game.
"That's something we had wanted to work on," Wagner said.
"We wanted to make sure they didn't get any offensive rebounds."
Davis was Oregon's second-leading scorer with 13 points,
while Bills contributed 11. Mizusawa and forward Eleanor Har
ing both had 10 points. For the first time this season, Oregon had
five players score in double figures.
Gunderson was scheduled to have an MRI by the end of the
weekend.
Wagner played her second-consecutive game with a brace on
her knee. She also had her left ankle re-taped in the final minutes
after she rolled it coming down from a shot.
Contact the senior sports reporter at mindjrice@dailyemeraid.com.
Arizona State gets big performances
from three Oregon-born players
The Sun Devils receive key
contributions from Oregon
natives en route to a 69-67
win over the Ducks Saturday
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
Arizona State guard Betsy Boardman
proved Saturday that the use of "proper"
defensive technique is overrated.
With fewer than 10 seconds remaining
and the Sun Devils ahead of the Ducks 67
65, Oregon forward Eleanor Haring beat
Boardman off the dribble and appeared to
have a clear lane to the basket.
Just as Haring passed by, however,
Boardman reached around the Oregon
freshman and flicked the ball off her leg.
Arizona State grabbed the loose ball and
held on for a 69-67 come-from-behind
victory at McArthur Court.
"That's something 1 do to make up for my
lack of quickness on defense," Boardman
said. "I'm very blessed with long arms ... I
can do that 85,90 percent of the time with
out getting a foul, so I was fully confident
when I flicked it."
Arizona State head coach Charli Turner
Thome said she doesn't approve of Board
man's defensive technique but was pleased
with the result.
"Betsy relies a little bit too much on the
flick," Turner Thome said. "I do not coach
that. I coach position defense; move your
feet and stay in front of somebody, but to
day I'll take it."
While pulling out a dramatic victory was
sweet for every Arizona State player, the win
carried something extra for a trio of Sun
Devils, all of whom hail from Oregon.
Boardman, junior Carrie Buckner and
sophomore Amy Denson returned to their
home state and played pivotal roles in de
feating the Ducks. Sophomore Jill Noe, a
fourth player from Oregon, was lost for the
season after tearing the anterior cruciate
ligament in her left knee on Oct. 8.
Boardman was the first of the group to
arrive in Tempe, playing her way onto the
2000-01 Pac-10 All-Freshman Team. The
Portland native was a 2000 graduate of
Beaverton High School, where she was a
three-time honorable mention USA Today
All-American.
The 6-foot-1 junior is the team's leading
scorer (12.0 points per game) despite
missing all of last season with an ACL tear
in her left knee.
Boardman was Arizona State's energy
boost Saturday, hitting a pair of big
three-pointers and grabbing a game-high
three steals.
"I love coming to play here," Board
man said. "The Pit is a great atmosphere
... it's a lot of fun to come here and play
and beat them."
Buckner arrived in 2001 after graduating
from Crescent Valley High School in Corval
lis. The 5-foot-9 guard was a USA Today
honorable mention All-American her junior
season. She finished with eight points, four
rebounds and four assists Saturday.
Turn to NATIVES, page 8A
Wildcats rout
Ducks with
24-point win
Oregon suffers its worst loss of the season as
Arizona scores 90 points for the fourth straight
game; the Ducks fall to 4-3 in Pac-10 play
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
Against the nation's highest-scoring offense, Oregon's offense
was shut down and shut out at the McJKale Center on Sunday.
No. 14 Arizona moved into sole possession of second place
in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 90-66 win against Oregon
__ in Tucson.
IIH mi9 The Wheats, who are averaging
92.7 P°'nts Per game in conference
BASKETBALL play, scored 52 against Oregon in the
- first half. Arizona (13-3 overall, 5-2
Pac-10) scored a season-high 109
points against Oregon State on Thursday.
Arizona brought its traditional high-speed transition of
fense that Oregon struggled to defend. And Arizona's pressure
defense forced Oregon to scramble and fall out of sync.
The Ducks turned the ball over 19 times in the game, 13 in
the first half alone. Arizona had nine steals.
"This game was lost in terms of turnovers, not blocking out
and allowing this team to get into transition and into their
comfort zone," Oregon head coach Ernie Kent told KUGN
(590 AM) radio after the game.
Oregon led only once, during the first minute of the game,
and the score was tied once, 11-11, at the 15:43 mark in the
first half. After that, Arizona put on a show.
Oregon went scoreless for more than five minutes during
the first half, and Arizona went on an 18-0 mn.
Arizona's Ivan Radenovic came off the bench and was key
for the Wildcats during the stretch. Radenovic entered the
game averaging 9.9 points per game and finished with a ca
reer-high 19 points and eight rebounds.
Freshman Mitch Platt brought Oregon back. After trail
ing 36-14 with fewer than seven minutes left in the half,
Platt scored eight points on four straight possessions to cut
the lead to 19.
Oregon trailed 52-27 at halftime.
In the first half, Arizona had only one turnover compared to
Turn to MEN, page 8A
Panova, Nagle
pace Oregon
in home opener
The Oregon men and women sweep their
home and season openers during the weekend
By Alex Tam
Freelance Reporter
The Oregon women are finally healthy after having been
decimated by injuries last season, and their comeback has
benefited the start of the new year.
The Ducks swept their home-open
__ m ~~ ~~ ing dual matches against No. 55 Sacra
iL# 1LJImento State in the morning session
■f | and Nevada later on Saturday to start
_ the season 2-0.
Head coach Nils Schyllander said his
team's start is encouraging, but he would like to see it continue
to improve.
"I am excited about the good start," Schyllander said. "We
were ready to play and beat (Sacramento State), a program on
the rise."
The highlight of the morning was the Ducks winning the
top three singles-position matches and sweeping the three
doubles matches. Oregon went on to defeat Sacramento
State 5-2.
The doubles side was led by the duo of junior Daria Panova
and senior Courtney Nagle. They defeated Sacramento State's
top two players, 45th-ranked Margarita Karnaukhova and No.
Turn to TENNIS, page 9A