Oregon Daily Emerald
February 7, 2005
“We are talented enough to win.
We just come out playing bad. ”
Oregon’s Aaron Brooks on some of the Ducks’ frustrations this season
■ in my opinion
naMfci
ION ROETMAN
ROUGHING THE PASSER
Dear Ian
Crosswhite:
Relax and
have fun
CORVALLIS — Dear Ian Crosswhite:
It appears you have yet to play your way
out of a conference-season-long slump.
For that reason, I have something to remind
you: The Oregon basketball team needs you.
While I’m sure you’re already aware of this,
it was never more evident than during Satur
day’s 76-72 loss to Oregon State. Your Ducks
haven’t played well in a month but showed
signs of life against the Beavers. Malik Hair
ston continued his strong play of late with a
20-point, six-rebound performance. Jordan
Kent got his first career start, scoring nine
points and grabbing eight rebounds while
Aaron Brooks finally broke out of a recent
slump, scoring 21 points.
But as Oregon’s guards excelled Saturday,
you and the rest of the Duck big men gave
the team next to nothing inside. While your
block on Sasa Cuic and reverse layin late in
the game were impressive, they weren’t
enough to overcome the botched rebounds
and lack of offensive output.
Ernie Kent was practically begging for you
and the rest of the bigs to produce at least
something on either end of the floor during
postgame interviews.
I know you re tired ot hearing everyone
bad mouth your game, but you need to un
derstand that expectations have been set very
high. Oregon fans and the media have seen
what you’re capable of on the court. You gar
nered Pacific-10 Conference All-Freshman
honorable mention status in 2003 and were
an Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 player dur
ing your sophomore campaign. You’re a 7
footer who can shoot the three-ball and has
the quickness to beat opponents off the drib
ble. And to top it all off, you entered this sea
son in the best shape of your life.
This was supposed to be the year in which
you established yourself as one of the best
post players in the conference. Not the year in
which you turned into a bench player who
would be lucky to contribute in spurts.
It seems as though all the pressure of being
a leader has bogged you down. Well, here are
a few words of advice from Duck fans who
have voiced their collective opinions to me:
HAVE SOME FUN!
I know you’ve had to cut back to get in
shape, but if guzzling beers and eating fast
food is what you enjoy, start doing it again
because avoiding the duo hasn’t exactly im
proved your game.
In case you haven’t noticed, you have a
huge fan base. People adore your fun-loving
off-court demeanor. Start letting that attitude
back onto the court, and start having fun
again, playing the game you love.
RELAX!
If leadership and shouting at your team
mates isn’t your cup of tea, let your play on
the court do the talking for you.
This team is close to busting out. Your head
coach knows it. Your teammates know it.
They need you to step up and play like
everyone knows you’re capable of.
jonroetman @ dailyemerald. com
■ Men's basketball
Turnovers bog down Ducks
Nicole Barker | Photographer
Oregon's Brandon Lincoln is swarmed by three Oregon State players as he commits
an offensive foul and one of Oregon’s 21 turnovers in its 76-72 loss to the Beavers on
Saturday at Gill Coliseum.
Oregon outshoots and
outrebounds OSU, but its
21 turnovers prove costly
BY CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS EDITOR
CORVALLIS — A turnover-plagued game
hampered a good shooting night for the Ore
gon men’s basketball team in a 76-72 loss to
Oregon State on Saturday.
Despite outshooting and outrebounding
the Beavers, the Ducks (11-8 overall, 3-7 Pa
cific-10 Conference) made too many careless
mistakes — resulting in 21 turnovers —
leading to their fifth consecutive loss which
drops them to ninth place in the Pac-10.
Oregon head coach Ernie Kent attributed
the turnovers to playing too fast and ball
handling trouble.
“We were playing pretty fast and had
a couple of great transition opportunities
to score and we turned the ball over,”
Kent said. “Our big guys for some reason
had balls in their hands and lost them or
threw them away a couple times on
inbound plays.
“Just mistakes we don’t normally make.”
Oregon State (12-9, 4-6) shot only 40.3
percent from the field — compared to Ore
gon’s 50.0 percent — but took 17 more
shots and scored 27 points off Oregon’s
turnovers to lead them to victory.
The Beavers were led by 22 points and
nine rebounds each from forwards Nick De
Witz and David Lucas. DeWitz added four
assists, two steals and a block.
MEN, page 12
■ Women's basketball
Ducks hold off late Beaver surge
Oregon's three-game home sweep is
nearly spoiled by Oregon State's 17-3 run
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
The Oregon women’s basketball team almost let a 23
point lead slip away against Oregon State on Saturday night.
A McArthur Court crowd of 5,245 — the largest since Se
nior Night of 2003 against Washington — watched the
Beavers (6-16 overall, 1-11 Pacific-10 Conference) go on a 17
3 run over the last six minutes of the game to make the 64-55
final of the 74th Civil War seem a lot closer than it was.
In the end, however, Oregon (15-6, 8-4) completed the
sweep of its two-week, three-game homestand and solidified
its position in the upper half of the Pac-10.
The Ducks improved their home record to 10-1 overall
— the only loss to now-No. 3 Ohio State — and 7-0 in
conference play.
“It feels good to get a win,” Oregon senior Cathrine
Kraayeveld said. “We’re not too happy about the whole
game in general, though. We didn’t play as good as we did
last weekend.”
A 10-2 run at the end of the first half gave the Ducks
control of what was a tied game with 4:23 to go until half
time. That run, in combination with Oregon State’s six
and-a-half-minute scoreless stretch at the beginning of the
second half helped erase any thoughts of an upset.
At least until the last six minutes of the game.
Leading 61-38 after two free throws by Kraayeveld, Ore
gon relaxed on both the offensive and defensive ends, al
lowing the Beavers to entertain the thought of a comeback
after a three-pointer by senior Shannon Howell cut the lead
to 13 with 1:47 left in the second half.
“In the first few minutes (of tonight’s game) we got ag
gressive and down and dirty,” Oregon head coach Bev
Smith said. “Once we had a lead, we relaxed. We have to
mentally focus and notice that when the lead is 20 we have
to get to 22, and when it’s 22 we have to get 24.”
Kraayeveld, playing in her 100th game as a Duck, led all
Oregon scorers with 17 on 6-of-12 shooting. She also
added five rebounds and hit a pair of critical three-pointers
— including one that gave the Ducks a 33-25 lead with
1:31 left in the first half.
Tim Bobosky | Photographer
Oregon senior Corrie Mizusawa dished out 10 assists and added
seven points against Oregon State on Saturday. Her 148 assists
this season ranks sixth all-time on the Oregon single-season list.
Oregon senior point guard Corrie Mizusawa had an
equally impressive performance, handing out 10 assists —
nine in the first half — and committing only one turnover.
She also added seven points in 32 minutes of play.
Mizusawa tallied her third double-digit assist game of
the year, and during the last three games, she totaled
28 assists compared to seven turnovers. She is now sixth
all-time at Oregon for assists in a single season with 148.
The record is held by Jacquie Semeniuk (190).
WOMEN, page 10
GAME TIME
Wed. Feb. 9
Fri. Feb. 11
Men's golf
Oregon at TaylorMade
Waitoloa Intercollegiate
Thu. Feb. 10
Women’s
basketball
Oregon at
Washington State, 7 p.m.
Men’s basketball
Oregon vs. Washington,
7:30 p.m.
Fit Feb. 11
SatFeb. 12
Track
Oregon at Iowa State
Classic and Holiday Inn
Team Invitational in Boise,
Idaho
Fri. Feb. 11-Sun.
Feb. 13
Softball
Oregon at UNLV Desert
Classic
Fri. Feb. 11
Women’s tennis
Oregon vs. Washington
State, 1:30 p.m.
Men’s tennis
Oregon vs. Boise State,
6:30 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 12
Women’s
basketball
Oregon at Washington,
1 p.m.
Men's basketball
Oregon vs.
Washington State, 3 p.m.
Women's tennis
Oregon vs. Washington,
12 p.m.
Lacrosse
Oregon vs. Stanford (First
varsity game ever for the
program), 12 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 12
Men's tennis
Oregon vs. UC Santa
Barbara, 11 a.m.
Wrestling
Oregon at Washington,
2 p.m.
GAME
SCORES
Fri. Feb. 4
Wrestling
Oklahoma 30, Oregon 22
Sat. Feb. 5
Men's basketball
Oregon State 76,
Oregon 72
UO: Hairston 20 pts
Women’s basketball
Oregon 64,
Oregon State 55
UO: Kraayeveld 17 pts
Softball
Oregon 10, Hawaii 2
Oregon 5, Jacksonville 0
Sun. Jan. 30
Super Bowl
New England 24,
Philadelphia 21