Oregon Daily Emerald
Friday, February 25, 2005
“This game was a microcosm of our
season except we hit our free throws
and didn’t turn the ball over. ’’
Oregon head coach Ernie Kent on the Ducks’ victory over California on Thursday
■ Men's basketball
Ducks beat Cal,
remain in race
for postseason
BY CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS EDITOR
With Oregon holding a 13-point
lead early in the second half against
California on Thursday night at
McArthur Court, things started
looking eerily similar to the loss to
Arizona State last week.
The Golden Bears crept back in
the game and tied it, just like the
Sun Devils.
But this time the Ducks fended
off the challenge with clutch free
throw shooting to stave off the
Bears, 63-58.
“This game mirrored our sea
son,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent
said. “The difference was we made
our free throws, we didn’t turn the
ball over as much and we did a gut
sy job on defense to get a much
needed win.”
Oregon’s Aaron Brooks scored
seven of his nine points during the
last three minutes of the game, in
cluding 4 for 4 from the free-throw
line, to help the Ducks, who had
been struggling from the line all
year, to shoot 9 of 10 from the foul
line in the second half.
“Once you knock one down in a
pressure situation, I think it kind of
trickles down to the rest of the
team,” Brooks said.
With the win, combined with a
Washington State loss to Arizona,
the Ducks (13-11 overall, 5-10 Pacif
ic-10 Conference) are now tied with
Cal (12-13, 5-10) and the Cougars
for seventh in the Pac-10, with the
Ducks having the tie-breaker over
Washington State for the final spot
in the Pac-10 Tournament.
“That’s our goal right now, be
cause I feel like if we can get there
we’ll be rejuvenated, and call it a re
birth if you want, because the pres
sure will be off of them,” Kent said.
“They are a good enough team if we
get there; I just think the Pac-10
Tournament is up for grabs, and it’s
just a matter of who is confident
and playing well.”
The Ducks were led by their true
freshman. The four — Bryce Taylor,
Malik Hairston, Maarty Leunen and
Chamberlain Oguchi— scored 44 of
the Ducks’ 63 points led by Taylor’s
game-high 15 points.
“I started getting going later in
the first half, and that got my
confidence going,” Taylor said. “I
just tried to have fun out there
and be intense.”
Kent believed it was the 27th
consecutive Pac-10 sell-out at
Mac Court that got the 6-foot-5
freshman going.
“Bryce needed this crowd,”
Kent said. “He did a nice job for
us in the game.”
MEN, page 8
Lauren Wimer | Senior photographer
Oregon’s Aaron Brooks drives to the basket during the Ducks’ 63-58 victory over
California on Thursday at McArthur Court. The sophomore point guard scored
seven of his nine points in the game down the stretch to help seal the victory.
■ Women's basketball
Stanford avenges single Pac-10 loss
The Cardinal uses a devastating 50-7 run to dismantle the Ducks
in a 76-45 drubbing at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif.
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
The Oregon women’s basketball team knew
a win against No. 3 Stanford would take a
monumental effort.
And now the Ducks understand why.
Stanford (25-2 overall, 16-1 Pacific-10 Con
ference) shot 63 percent (30 of 48) from the
floor Thursday and put Oregon (18-8 overall,
11-6 Pac-10) away early, en route to a 76-45
victory in front of 4,208 fans at Maples Pavil
ion in Palo Alto, Calif.
Looking to avenge its only Pac-10 loss this
season, the Cardinal came out on fire offen
sively, connecting on about 75 percent of its
field goals in the first 13 minutes of the game.
“Stanford played an outstanding game,” Ore
gon head coach Bev Smith said. “They talked a
little revenge for the last time (Oregon’s 62-58
victory in Eugene), and they played outstand
ing. Their defense played very well in the post.”
Oregon dropped its all-time record at
Maples Pavilion to 1-18. This season, Stanford
has defeated three different Pac-10 teams —
Washington State, California, and Southern
California — by more than 30 points.
Stanford used a 50-7 run that covered the
end of the first and the beginning of the sec
ond half to put the Ducks away, who had
pulled to within three at the 11:34 mark in the
first half, 16-13.
The Ducks shot 29 percent from the field in
the first half, while the Cardinal shot 68 percent,
including 5 of 7 from the three-point range.
During the 50-7 run, the Cardinal went on a
37-2 streak that started after Oregon freshman
Gabrielle Richards hit a three-pointer to pull
the Ducks within 11 points, 29-18.
Oregon senior Andrea Bills, the only Duck to
post double figures with 13 points on 6-of-10
shooting, snapped a streak of 22 straight Car
dinal points with a bucket with 16 minutes left
in the second half. The Cardinal then added 15
more points, with junior center Brooke Smith
adding eight of them during that stretch, to
push the Stanford lead to 66-20 with just under
12 minutes to play in the second half.
Stanford’s dominance came from balanced
scoring from the Cardinal’s deep and experi
enced team. During the run, Stanford senior
Kelley Suminski connected on her 195th ca
reer three-pointer, which puts her seventh on
the all-time Pac-10 list.
Oregon senior Cathrine Kraayeveld was
held scoreless for the first time in her career at
Oregon as a starter. The 6-foot-4 forward went
0 of 4 from the field and added only two re
bounds, three turnovers and one personal foul
in 23 minutes of play.
“She is a team person and she wants to con
tribute (to the team),” Smith said of
Kraayeveld. “As a player you have to find a
way to help the team when you’re not scoring.
Stanford knew she was an important player,
and we didn’t have a player step up for us. ”
In the Ducks’ victory in Eugene, the duo of
Kraayeveld and Bills combined for 34 points
and 30 rebounds. Last night, they combined
for 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Cardinal outrebounded the Ducks 38
21 for the game, collecting 15 more defensive
rebounds.
Oregon senior Brandi Davis was the Ducks’
second-leading scorer with nine points on 3
of-10 shooting from the three-point line. Ore
gon sophomore Jessica Shetters added six
points in 16 minutes of play.
For Stanford, Smith and freshman Candice
Wiggins led the Cardinal with 13 points. Wig
gins also added five rebounds and three assists.
Oregon travels to Berkeley, Calif., for their fi
nal Pac-10 game of the season when they take
on Cal at 2 p.m. on Saturday. A win for the
Ducks would clinch second place in the Pac-10.
briansmith@dailyememld.com
■ In my opinion
JON ROETMAN
ROUGHING THE PASSER
Ducks earn 2
thumbs up in
silver screen
performance
Oregon fans entered McArthur Court on
Thursday night expecting to see the premiere of
“Getting Over the Hump,” the most recent
movie released by the men’s basketball team.
It was hyped as the glorious tale of a team
full of young players who have struggled
through adversity all season, only to capture a
huge win against California, while fighting for a
spot in the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament.
Oregon head coach Ernie Kent, who has been
directing exciting basketball flicks in Eugene for
the past eight years, was said to have construct
ed a masterpiece.
But after 38 minutes, Thursday’s movie
reeked of a bad sequel in which the Ducks
would once again snatch defeat from the jaws
of victory.
Oregon had blown a 13-point second-half
lead. Its offense had grown stagnant. And with
1:14 remaining, the Ducks sent sophomore
point guard Aaron Brooks to the free-throw line
with the game tied at 56.
Anyone who had taken the time to watch
Oregon’s other movies knows free throws are
like kryptonite to the Ducks. They struggle to
knock down freebies during the opening
minute of a game and become downright aw
ful during crunch time. And when Brooks
toed the foul line in front of a sellout crowd at
Mac Court, the show’s ending seemed all
too predictable.
What happened next, however, was anything
but expected.
After Brooks calmly knocked down his two
free throws, Oregon rushed back on defense
and caused Cal center Rod Benson to turn the
ball over on a traveling violation.
Sixteen seconds and three team fouls later,
Cal sent Brooks back to the charity stripe where
he once again knocked down a pair of free
throws to give Oregon a 60-56 lead.
Just when things couldn’t get any better for
the Ducks, a pair of true freshmen — Bryce Tay
lor and Chamberlain Oguchi — knocked down
3 of 4 pressure-packed free throws during the
game’s final 11 seconds to ice a 63-58 win.
Oregon knocking down 9 of 10 free throws in
the second half? The Ducks committing only 11
turnovers? Such plot twists left Oregon fans
roaring by movie’s, er, game’s end.
With three contests remaining on its regular
season schedule, Oregon sits in a three-way tie
for seventh place in the conference. With the
top eight teams advancing to the Pac-10 Tour
nament, the Ducks know each game is of the
utmost importance.
The only question remaining is what Kent’s
next movie will be titled.
“Viva Los Angeles: The Story of a Pac-10
Tournament Participant,” or “The 100th Season
of Oregon Basketball: The One that Got Away?”
jonroetman@dailyemerald.com