Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Friday, February 13,2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NCAA Basketball
No. 5 Connecticut at No. 4 Pittsburg
10:30 a.m. Sunday, ABC
Oregon sends
Cougs packing
with home win
The Ducks won their fourth Pac-10 game with
a strong showing against the last-place Cougars
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
On Thursday night at McArthur Court, the Oregon women's
basketball team shared the love.
Junior Kedzie Gunderson tied a career high in rebounds and
points, forward Eleanor Haring set a career high in points scored
and point guard Corrie Mizusawa blocked her first shot as a Duck.
The Ducks (12-11 overall, 4-9 Pacific-10
Conference) had one of their best re
bounding games this season, and for the
first time in the Pac-10 season, Oregon
scored more than 70 points with a 74-52
victory against Washington State.
"Everyone just came out ready to play," Gunderson said. "We
stuck to our strengths and played how we wanted to play, not how
they wanted us to play."
Quick starts were one of the Ducks' biggest energizers in the
win. Oregon took the lead immediately when center Andrea Bills
hit a layup with less than a minute and a half gone on the clock.
Persistent defense and an off-shooting night for the Cougars
helped the Ducks jump out to a 9-0 lead before Washington State
scored its first points — a wide-open three pointer by forward
Nikki Stratton — 4 minutes and 47 seconds into the game.
"We wanted to get a really good start and maintain that inten
sity that we created all throughout the game," head coach Bev
Smith said. "That's what we needed to do tonight."
The second half started in similar fashion, with Oregon making
a 13-0 run before the Cougars (5-18, 1-13) scored on a three
point basket by Kate Benz 4:20 into the half.
"We just got it done tonight," said Bills, who led Oregon with
10 rebounds.
For the fourth time this conference season, the Ducks didn't
give up their lead near the end of the game. After Smith and the
squad spent weeks running situational drills for having a late lead,
Oregon kept its lead in double digits — from a Carolyn Ganes
three-pointer almost halfway though the first half until the final
buzzer sounded at a 22-point lead.
As a team, the Ducks made a season-high 31 field goals in the
victory, shooting an impressive 51.7 percent. They also outre
bounded the Cougars, 40-29.
"Obviously, 19 assists on 31 baskets, that's where we were at
when our team was playing very well and we had some offensive
flow," Smith said. "We just did the game plan to a T For the first
time in a long time in the second half, we put a team away when
we needed to put them away."
Haring had a career night against the Cougars. The freshman
from Australia put up a career-high 16 points and came one shy of
tying her career high of five steals.
Turn to WIN, page 9
WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL
Tim Bobosky Photographer
Guard Brandi Davis (21) had 13 points in the Ducks' 74-52 victory against the Cougars. The Ducks host Washington at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Ducks have fun beating WSU
Thursday night was a fun night for the
Oregon women's basketball team.
Along with pounding hapless Washing
ton State into the McArthur Court hard
wood, the Ducks got to do something they
hadn't done on a basketball court for quite
some time.
They had fun.
Oregon used solid defense, flashy passes
and plenty of smiles to defeat Washington
State 74-52 in front of 3,388 appreciative
Jon Roetman
Roughing the passer
fans at McArthur Court.
From the opening tip, the Ducks carried
themselves like a team that knew it was go
ing to win. They carried themselves with a
confidence that had been missing since
senior All-American candidate Cathrine
Kraayeveld was lost for the season after
tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in
her right knee on Dec. 2.
And most importantly, they carried
Turn to ROETMAN, page 8
Oregon’s Luke
Jackson (33)
got into foul
trouble early,
playing just
three minutes
in the first half
of the Ducks’
83-74 loss to
Washington.
Matt Lutton The
Daily (UW)
Ducks succumb to Washington
via turnovers and rebounding
The Oregon men’s basketball team went
flat against the Huskies in Seattle without
senior leader Luke Jackson on the court
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
SEATTLE — Luke Jackson last won at Bank of America
Arena during his freshman season at Oregon.
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
On Thursday, Washington ex
tended his losing streak in the
Emerald City to three games.
Jackson had his worst game of
the Pacific-10 Conference season
as the Huskies defeated Oregon
83-74 in front of 7,618 at Bank of America Arena
The forward scored 11 points. He played in just three
minutes of the first half after earning two fouls by the
16:49 mark.
Without his control of the game, the Ducks (11-7 over
all, 6-5 Pac-10) literally lost control. Up by 13 points mid
way through the second half, Oregon slowly succumbed
to Washington.
"Just coming down in the stretch of the ball game, we
didn't do a good job defensively," Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent said.
Looking for a reason for the loss? Look no further than
the 26 turnovers the Ducks committed, 13 in each half.
The Huskies (11-9, 6-6) capitalized early and often, scor
ing 29 points off of Oregon's turnovers.
Conversely, the Ducks netted 12 points off of 15 Wash
ington turnovers.
"Way too many turnovers, way too many (Washing
ton) offensive boards," Oregon forward lan Crosswhite
said. "We can't turn the ball over."
Oh, but the Ducks did. Every Oregon player turned the
ball over once, with Jackson, forward Mitch Platt and
Brandon Lincoln leading the way with four apiece.
"Yeah, it was turnovers," Platt said. "We had 23
or something."
Turn to TURNOVERS, page 10