University of Oregon
George Washington
George Washington Defeats No. 21 Ducks 72-52
12/18/03 | Women's Basketball
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Behind Cathy Joens' 19 points, George Washington cruised past the No. 21-ranked Oregon women's basketball team 72-52 Thursday before 804 fans at the Smith Center.
The Ducks (8-2) were down quickly as the Colonials (5-2) led 32-11 with 6:22 remaining in the first half. Oregon countered with a 21-5 run to close the half thanks to three Chelsea Wagner 3-pointers and one from Corrie Mizusawa (six assists) to cut the lead to 37-32.
GWU rebuilt its lead to 43-32 in the second half's first two minutes and never looked back, scoring 12 unanswered points after halftime while Oregon failed to score until the 13:59 mark on a Kedzie Gunderson free throw. The Ducks played catchup for most of the game and had a season-low scoring output. It was the Colonials' second straight win over a ranked opponent after defeating then-No. 21 Boston College on Dec. 10.
“We dug a big hole even though we were able to make a great comeback and be in the game at halftime,” Oregon coach Bev Smith said. “It wasn't enough and we didn't have any energy in the second half to maintain that after trying so hard to come back.”
The sweet-shooting Joens, the league's player of the year last season, hit 8-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-3 from three-point range, and grabbed eight rebounds. She was complemented by teammates Ugo Oha, who had 15 points and nine rebounds, as well as Anna Montanana, who finished with 12 points and six assists.
“George Washington played well,” Smith said. “We let them get out in transition and get some rhythm. I think there's something to be said about the physicality here. You can't simulate that in practice. Overall, it's still a good experience for us.”
The Colonials shut down Oregon's leading scorer, 6-foot-3 post Andrea Bills, who has had back to back double-figure scoring and 20-plus rebounding games. Bills scored her first points with 3:06 left in the game and made 2-of-11 from the floor to go with seven rebounds.
It was the 6-foot-4 Ugo, who had four blocked shots on the night, getting in Bills' path.
“(Oha) was really aggressive down on the post,” Bills said. “When I thought I had an open shot, she was there to block it.”
Oregon struggled with the Colonials' up-tempo style. The Ducks, who had shot 77 more free throws than their opponents heading into the game, managed a season-low three attempts, making two. Meanwhile, GWU hit 10-of-13 from the foul line.
“We just had trouble maintaining our play,” Bills said. “We'd get on runs, but let them get a huge counter-run instead of sustaining them with our defense. It was a good experience for us to have to play a game Tuesday, travel and play another game. It will only make us tougher for the Pac-10.”
Carolyn Ganes was one of Oregon's few bright spots offensively, scoring a team-high 13 points and pulling down a season-best seven rebounds coming off the bench. Ganes made 6-of-9 from the floor but committed six of the Ducks' 18 turnovers.
“We're looking forward to playing a lot of familiar teams and competing for the Pac-10 championship,” Bills said. “We have three days to get ready and work hard on our own before we practice as a team again.”
GWU, winners of the Atlantic 10 Conference three of the last four years, has won 23 of its last 25 at home.
Wagner, a 2001 Springfield High graduate, had a season-high nine points for the Ducks while freshman Eleanor Haring tied a career-high with eight. Oregon outrebounded GWU 39-35.
Oregon next will travel to begin Pac-10 play Dec. 27 at California. Tipoff is at noon and will be televised live on Fox Sports Net from Haas Pavilion.
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