Oregon Daily Emerald
Friday, February 18, 2005
“We just got run over by a team
that is playing well. ”
Oregon head coach Ernie Kent after his team’s 92-67 loss to No. 11 Arizona
■ Women's basketball
Ducks get
defensive
in victory
over ASU
Oregon forced 21 turnovers,
including at least one from every
Sun Devil that played in the game
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
In last month’s 74-65 defeat against the Sun
Devils in Tempe, Ariz., the Oregon women’s
basketball team learned just how frustrating
Arizona State’s defense was.
In that game, the Ducks committed
25 turnovers.
In tonight’s 66-59 victory over the Sun Devils
at McArthur Court, Oregon borrowed a page
from Arizona State’s playbook, switched roles
and forced them to turn the ball over 21 times
— 15 of them coming in the first half.
In addition, the Ducks forced every player
that played for the Sun Devils into committing
at least one turnover.
“Defensively, we really buckled down and
we understood their strengths,” Oregon head
coach Bev Smith said. “They are a very good
team and they are very hard to play
against sometimes.”
Arizona State came into the game at or near
the top in all defensive categories in the Pacif
ic-10 Conference.
The Sun Devils led the conference in scoring
defense, allowing only 53 points per game.
They ranked fifth in field-goal percentage de
fense and first in three-point percentage defense
— allowing opponents to make 49 three-point
ers all year. They ranked third in the Pac-10 in
steals with 10.7 per game.
But while Arizona State’s defense gets all the
credit, the Ducks are nearly equal to the task.
“We always talk about how our defense fu
els our offense, and that’s how we are going
to play well,” Oregon senior Cathrine
Kraayeveld said. “We knew the scouting re
port, and we took pride in that, and we did
what we could in stopping the (opposing)
personnel on the floor.”
The Ducks rank third in conference in scor
ing defense. In addition, Oregon is second in
field-goal percentage defense.
It seemed the Ducks played a little bit harder
and wanted it a little bit more against the Sun
Devils, equal to the task of competing with the
ninth-ranked defense in the nation.
“It was one of our main focuses going into
the game,” Oregon senior Brandi Davis said.
“Defensively we had to turn it up because we
had no choice.”
The Ducks snagged eight steals, equaling
the Sun Devils’ total. Oregon also added
three blocks.
Kraayeveld led the way with three steals to
add to an 11-point, six-rebound performance.
As a team, Oregon contained Arizona State
sophomore forward Emily Westerberg, who
scored 26 points in the last meeting with the
Ducks, to 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
“They did a good job of denying the post and
we didn’t show the patience (to get good
shots),” Arizona State head coach Charli Tlirner
Thorne said. “I think they did step up their de
fense and they did a nice job.”
briansmith@dailyemerald.com
4
Jennifer Sudick I Editor in chief
Oregon’s Cathrine Kraayeveld drives to the basket in the Ducks’ 66-59 victory against Arizona State on Thurs
day night at Mac Court. The senior finished the contest with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals.
■ Women's basketball
UO outlasts
Sun Devils,
66-59, at
Mac Court
The game moved the Ducks into
a three-way tie for second place
in the Pacific-10 Conference
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
There are four teams bunched up in the mid
dle of the Pacific-10 Conference battling for
third place. Oregon’s 66-59 victory over Arizona
State in front of 3,601 McArthur Court fans on
Thursday showed just how competitive it has
been this season.
The Ducks scored their final 10 points from
the free-throw line on 16 trips in the final
minute and a half to improve their conference
record to 10-5 and 17-7 overall.
“Free throws are very important," said Ore
gon head coach Bev Smith, whose team shot
only two free throws in the first half but con
verted 18 of 28 in the game. “It wasn’t perfect,
but we made enough to get the win.”
Arizona State (17-8 overall, 9-6 Pac-10) let
another low-scoring game slip away despite
collecting 16 assists — twice as many as Ore
gon — and shooting 25 of 55 (.455) from
the floor.
The first half featured four ties and three
lead changes. After Jenny Thigpin sank a
jump shot for the Sun Devils with 6:47 left in
the first half, Oregon went on a 10-1 run dur
ing which Arizona State missed six field-goal
WOMEN, page 8
Chris Coduto | Arizona Daily Wildcat
Arizona’s Ivan Radenovic, left, and Channing Frye defend Oregon’s Aaron Brooks’ shot
during the Wildcats' 92-67 victory over the Ducks on Thursday at the McKale Center.
■ Men's basketball
No. 11 Arizona
hammers Oregon
in 92-67 blowout
BY CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS EDITOR
An aggressive veteran Arizona
basketball team showed Oregon
why it’s the top team in the Pacif
ic-10 Conference, as the No. 11
Wildcats pounded the Ducks 92
67 on Thursday night at the
McKale Center in TUcson.
Arizona (22-4 overall,
12-2 Pac-10) was ignited by its
veteran players, led by the strong
effort of Portland native Salim
Stoudamire. The senior led all
scorers with 22 points, including
4 of 6 three-pointers.
Wildcat center Channing Frye
chipped in 19 points and added
five rebounds and seven blocked
shots in the victory.
“They’ve been playing some
great basketball of late,” Oregon
head coach Ernie Kent told
590 KUGN. “We just got run over
by a team that is playing well.”
Despite shooting 50 percent
from the field, Oregon (4-9,
12-10) was plagued by 19
turnovers, which helped Arizona
put up 16 more shots in the
game. The Wildcats shot 52
percent from the field.
Arizona used an explosive sec
ond half to accumulate its large
advantage. The Wildcats went
on a 10-0 run early in the second
half to give them a 17-point ad
vantage at 68-51.
“We probably played good
basketball for about 28 minutes
this game, but unfortunately
there is 40 minutes in a game,”
Kent said. “We nad an eight
minute stretch where we didn’t
play very well and they
MEN, page 10