Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NCAA basketball:
Villanova vs. Seton Hall
6 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, March 10,2004
Oregon
returns
home for
Canada
The Ducks face the Canadian
Olympic team today at 2:30
p.m. in their first home game
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
The No. 16 Oregon women's softball
team is more than happy to play Team
Canada today at Howe Field.
For the first time this season, the Ducks
_ will sleep in their
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SOFTBALL They'll be able to
- go to class the day
of the game, and
have dinner at home and sleep in their
own beds after the game.
"We love Howe Field," Oregon head
coach Kathy Arendsen said. "To play in
front of classmates, family and friends, to
sleep in our own beds, it's just going to be
so cool. We're so excited."
The 2:30 p.m. start ends a five-week
string of road trip after road trip that took
the Ducks (17-5) from Florida to Califor
nia and bade.
"We wish we could play a lot more
here," Arendsen said. "We love the fans
and the atmosphere. Even though the
amenities are not the greatest, the field it
self and the scenery. It's just spectacular. I
think it defines what Oregon is."
The twist in today's home opener
against Team Canada is the Ducks won't
be a completely whole team.
Transfer pitcher Ani Nyhus will be suit
ed up in the opposing dugout. While she
is in her first season at Oregon, she also is
trying to get one of the seven remaining
spots on the Canadian Olympic team.
"We're incredibly proud of Ani," Arend
sen said. "She won't pitch against Oregon.
We had kind of a little handshake agree
ment that she wouldn't pitch for either
Turn to CANADA, page 9
Erik R. Bishoff Photographer
Adam Zahn played a key role in Oregon’s victories over USC and UCLA last week.
Oregon's balance
ready to be tested
The Ducks head to Los Angeles
with the depth they've been
seeking all season long
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
All season, Oregon head coach Ernie
Kent has spoken about the depth that the
Ducks supposedly possessed.
Throughout most of the Pacific-10 Con
ference season, however, those words were
spoken in vain. Injuries to Aaron Brooks
and Jordan Kent plagued the team, some
times forcing Ernie Kent to go short with
his bench.
Most of the time during the conference
season, Kent was forced to play just eight
That forced the likes of Luke Jackson,
James Davis and Ian Crosswhite to get
more than their fair share of time on the
court.
That trend, though, came to a halt re
cently in Oregon's victories against South
Turn to BALANCE, page 10
MEN'S
BASKETBALL
or nine players in a
game. And more of
ten than not, the
bench players Kent
was able to get into
the game saw as lit
tle as five minutes.
Oregon women
edged for first
at Duck Invite
Washington State’s Kim Welch took home the
tournament victory for the third straight year
The Oregon women's golf team came agonizingly close
Tuesday to winning its second tide of the year at the 2004
Duck Invitational, played on the 5,698-yard, par-72 Eu
gene Country Club course.
nal round with a team score of 301, while Washington
State posted a 296, erasing the four-shot deficit from the
day before.
That gave the Cougars the team title with a two-day total
of 913. Washington State's charge was spearheaded by a
pair of 1-under 71s in the final round, shot by Kim Welch
and Maria Kostina. In the end, the second 71 is what cost
the Ducks the tournament.
"When I saw that 301 go up on the board, my heart
skipped," Oregon head coach Shannon Rouillard said.
"But Washington State played awesome. When you lose,
you want a team to beat you by shooting a good num
ber, and they did that. So hat's off to them for beating us
by a shot."
Therese Wenslow led the Ducks by shooting 77-72-74
223 to finish five strokes back of Welch and in a tie for sec
ond place with Cal State Northridge's Elizabeth Allen.
Wenslow's second place finish was a career-best for the
sophomore from Bunkeflostrand, Sweden. Wenslow start
ed the day two strokes back but had trouble closing the gap
due to an unfriendly putter.
"I just wasn't putting very well," said Wenslow. "I think
those three rounds were a great test of patience, and actu
ally I think I passed it."
Along with Wenslow, five other Ducks finished in the
top 15. Junior Johnna Nealy and sophomore Erin An
drews tied for 7th, both hitting the 230 mark. Sophomore
Michelle Timpani, playing as an individual, struggled in
her final round but still managed to finish tied for 9th with
Portland State's Sarah Tiller at 231.
Junior Jess Carlyon carded her best finish of the season
and the second-highest of her career by finishing in a tie
for 11th at 234. Freshman Kimberly McCready shot 83-74
79-236, good for a tie for 13th.
Playing as individuals, senior Katie Cunningham posted
By Brian Smith
Freelance Reporter
GOLF
DUCK
As one of the only two teams
contending for the title, the Ducks
went head-to-head with Washing
ton State, and in the end it boiled
down to one stroke that made the
difference. Oregon finished the fi
Turn to EDGED, page 10
Falling Down
Oregon suffers through a season of disappointment that ends with a loss in the Pac-10 Tournament
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
The look on Andrea Bills' face summarized the entire season.
After an 82-57 loss to California in the opening round of the
Pacific-10 Conference Tournament on Friday, the junior center
displayed a look that screamed of pain and disappointment dur
ing post-game interviews.
The Ducks' leading scorer and rebounder had just been held to
four points and one rebound in 15 foul
and injury-plagued minutes.
"It's very disappointing because 1 know
my teammates are looking for me to be
there," Bills said after a week-long battle
with a left ankle injury. "I just tried to go
out there and play as hard as I could."
Bills' effort epitomized Oregon's 2003-04 season, where noth
ing went right for the Ducks, no matter how hard they tried.
After starting the season with five consecutive wins and earn
ing a spot in the top 25, Oregon experienced a series of painful
events that quickly ended its hopes of being an elite team.
The most traumatic incident occurred Dec. 2 when senior for
ward Cathrine Kraayeveld tore the anterior cruciate ligament in
her right knee. The loss of Kraayeveld was catastrophic for Ore
gon; the 6-foot-4 All-American candidate was the Ducks' leading
scorer, rebounder, three-point shooter and shot blocker.
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
Erik R. Bishoff Photographer
Like Eleanor Haring against California, Oregon was often knocked
down this season. The Golden Bears defeated the Ducks, 82-75.
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locked on me and it kind of gave way," Kraayeveld said at the time.
"... I was going and all of the sudden I was on the ground."
Teammates felt the added pressure of her absence immediately.
The Ducks were blown out by an undersized Portland team Dec.
4 in what proved to be the first of many frustrating losses.
Sophomore Carolyn Ganes felt the pressure to produce in
Kraayeveld's absence more than anyone. The Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, native was inserted into the starting lineup against
the Pilots but managed only nine points and two rebounds.
Oregon appeared to regroup quickly, winning its next three
games, albeit against marginal competition. The Ducks, howev
er, lost their next five games and quickly fell out of contention for
the Pac-10 title. The losing streak included a 61-57 loss to Califor
nia in the Ducks' conference opener and a 63-57 loss to UCLA in
which Oregon led by as many as 14 in the second half.
After winning its first conference game of the year against Ore
gon State on Jan. 10, Oregon lost eight of its next 11 games, in
cluding a 95-50 loss at Washington on Jan. 15. The 45-point de
feat was the third-worst in school history.
The following week, Chelsea Wagner shot the lights out in
McArthur Court, drilling a combined 10 three-pointers in games
against Arizona and Arizona State. Despite the Springfield native's
sharpshooting, Oregon dropped both games after blowing late leads.
What made the sophomore guard's performance more amazing
Turn to DOWN, page 8