University of Oregon
Santa Clara
Bills? 20 Boards Helps No. 21 Ducks Defeat Santa Clara 68-56
12/16/03 | Women's Basketball
SANTA CLARA, Calif. ? Andrea Bills is paying off for the No. 21-ranked Oregon women's basketball team.
Bills notched her second straight 20-plus rebound performance ? a feat which has been accomplished by an Oregon player once before in 1975 ? as the Ducks' turned it on in the second half Tuesday for their third straight win, dumping Santa Clara 68-56 at the Leavey Center.
Recording her second straight double-double as well with 18 points, Bills helped lead Oregon's second-half dominance where it outscored the Broncos by 17. The Ducks, whose 8-1 start to the season is their best since 1983-84, trailed 34-29 at the half. Oregon has led at halftime three times this year.
"I hope she keeps going," Oregon coach Bev Smith said of Bills. "She's a great athlete and comes up big-time for us when we need her to. She makes it look so easy. Her timing's there. There's nothing fancy about her, it's just blue-collar work ethic. There's an old saying: ?There's no glory in rebounding, just victory.' That's her job and she does it well."
Bills had 13 points and 13 boards in the second half as the Broncos kept it close until an 11-3 Oregon run to close out the final 3:26.
Oregon had just three offensive rebounds in the first half, but pulled down 13 after the break.
"The first half we did a pretty good job of controlling the boards," Santa Clara coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. "We knew that was going to be a factor tonight. We gave them momentum and energy early in the second half and they killed us on the offensive rebounds. (Bills) just dominated on the boards. She's a big body. You definitely have to push her back and can't give her second opportunities"
It was a pronounced contrast from last year's game at McArthur Court ? an 88-79 Santa Clara win ? as both teams combined for 25 three-pointers. Tonight, the Ducks and Broncos were 4-of-22 from long distance. Oregon's defense held an opponent to fewer than 60 points for the sixth time this year.
Oregon junior Kedzie Gunderson tied her season-high with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, including 5-of-6 from the foul line. Sophomore forward Carolyn Ganes was Oregon's other double-digit scorer with 10 in a reserve role.
"We're finding easier ways to score," said Smith, whose best player, Cathrine Kraayeveld, is out for the remainder of the year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. "Apart from the first half, we can play very good defense, which is carrying the team. Now, we're trying to find people and opportunities to score. And it's coming slowly."
As for the first-half struggles, Bills said the Ducks need improved effort.
"We just weren't going out and playing hard," said Bills, who was 8-of-19 from the floor and blocked three shots. "We've got to try to start coming out and playing the whole game. We're going to start playing better teams in the Pac-10 and they're going to take advantage of that."
Santa Clara (3-5), winless in four home games this year, was led by Whitney Sutak's 20 points. Sutak also scored 20 against Oregon last season. Ashley Gonnerman, a freshman forward who played at Oregon City High, was the Broncos' only other double-figure scorer with 13.
The Broncos put the clamps on Oregon play-maker Corrie Mizusawa, who entered the game fourth in the nation in assists at 8.3 per game. She got her first one with 5:58 left in the game and finished with two, although she had four rebounds, two steals and five points overall.
Oregon next will travel to Washington, D.C., to take on perennial power George Washington (4-2) on Thursday at 4 p.m. PST. It's the final non-league game as Pac-10 play begins Dec. 27 for the Ducks at California.
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