University of Oregon
Gonzaga
No. 24 Ducks Down Gonzaga 73-57
11/25/03 | Women's Basketball
SPOKANE, Wash. ? Behind junior point guard Corrie Mizusawa's school record-tying 14 assists, the No. 24 University of Oregon women's basketball team dropped Gonzaga 73-57 before 1,017 fans Tuesday at the Martin Centre.
The Ducks, which trailed just once in the second half, led just 51-48 after Gonzaga's Anne Bailey (15 points) scored a lay-in. But sophomore forward Carolyn Ganes, who played sparingly in Oregon's first two games, took advantage of Gonzaga's interior defense by scoring 14 of her season-high 15 points in the second half. A 14-1 Oregon run ? four of the points by Ganes ? put the game away capped by a 17-foot Andrea Bills jumper from the top of the key as the Ducks led 65-50 with 6:11 remaining.
Oregon (3-0) caught fire on offense after a dismal first half which saw it shoot 36 percent as the halftime score was notched at 28 apiece. The second half proved different as the Ducks hit on 20-of-29 from the floor and their depth wore down Gonzaga.
"In the first half, defensively we didn't play as hard as we needed to," Oregon coach Bev Smith said. "We were a step slow and out of position and outrebounded because of that. In the second half we played better defense and battled through things. Our interior defense was improved and we finished plays on the offensive end."
The Bulldogs (1-2), who tied for second in the West Coast Conference last season, had won eight of their last nine at home dating to last year.
It was the 5-foot-8 Mizusawa, though, who ran the Ducks' offensive show and stole Gonzaga's upset bid. Her assists mark tied Vanessa Selden's school record set Dec. 7, 1990, against New Mexico State.
"She's kind of a silent killer," Smith said of Mizusawa, who had 11 second-half assists. "You don't really realize how much damage she's done. There's a lot of confidence with our team when she's on the floor with the ball. She's getting better each game understanding our team and getting us into a good tempo."
Mizusawa, who had one turnover on the night, notched her 10th assist at the 9:42 mark, and tied the school record with 2:04 left. She was substituted for soon thereafter.
"We were little stagnant on offense (in the first half)," Mizusawa said. "After halftime, our main goal was to rebound, get out and run and get our transition going. We had better spacing in the second half we had a couple of lob passes to the post for easy shots."
Many of those passes went inside to Ganes and Bills as the Ducks showed patience on the offensive end.
"It was nice to be able to come in and help get the flow of the offense going," said Ganes, who had scored just eight points in Oregon's first two games.
"Carolyn was key for us as was our depth," Smith said. "She really picked and chose her spots. She got the ball in the paint and went up strong with it."
Bills led the Ducks with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go with a team-high eight rebounds. Kedzie Gunderson and Brandi Davis each added 11. For Gonzaga, Ashley Burke had 16 points while Ashley Anderson chipped in 11.
The Bulldogs defended Oregon senior star Cathrine Kraayeveld well, limiting her to seven points and five rebounds. Defensively, Kraayeveld blocked four shots ? all in the first half.
"I think we defended (Kraayeveld) well," Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves said. "If we execute and focus for 40 minutes we can play with teams like that."
The Ducks return home to play host to the Oregon Classic, opening with Kansas on Friday at 8 p.m. Oregon then takes on North Carolina State on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in a game televised live on the Oregon Sports Network.
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