University of Oregon
Arizona
Wildcats Nip Ducks, 70-66
01/22/04 | Women's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. ? Despite an inspired effort, the University of Oregon women's basketball team could not finish off Arizona as the Wildcats won 70-66 before 3,633 fans Thursday at McArthur Court.
Arizona won its third straight and improved to 15-4 and 7-1 in the conference. The upset-minded Ducks, meanwhile, dropped to 10-8 and 2-6.
“We did some things really well, but on a couple possessions we didn't get it to the shooter,” Oregon coach Bev Smith said. “What we have to do is take the next step. We are a young team. We really need that killer instinct.”
Oregon fought tooth-and-nail, but couldn't overcome Dee-Dee Wheeler's hot hand. Wheeler, Arizona's junior guard, scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.
Oregon led by as many as six at 65-59 with 4:38 remaining before Arizona mounted its clinching comeback. The Wildcats regained the lead for good as Shawntinice Polk grabbed a Natalie Jones missed lay-in and made a putback bucket with 44.7 seconds left to go up 66-65. The Ducks got to the foul line but the ball just wouldn't fit. In the final 4:38, Oregon was 2-of-6 on free throws, including five straight misses.
Jones' two free throws with six seconds left ? giving Arizona a four-point lead ? sealed the Ducks' fate.
“We crated some opportunities for ourselves,” Smith said. “We just needed to put the ball in the basket.”
The Ducks were down 44-31 after a Danielle Adefeso basket with 18:15 left in the game. Oregon proceeded to score 14 consecutive points en route to an 18-2 run as it led for the first time, 49-46, at the 12:07 mark after Corrie Mizusawa's 3-pointer from the corner.
Although Oregon shot just 7-of-17 from the free-throw line, the Ducks' offense was flowing as they shot 46 percent from the field, including 7-of-21 from 3-point range. Chelsea Wagner, who has been hobbled with a torn lateral meniscus in her left knee, scored a season-high 17 points and tied a career-high with five 3-pointers in 11 attempts.
“Chelsea was a real warrior,” Smith said. “She came to play and gave us the extra focus we needed.”
Meanwhile, Mizusawa had her fourth double-digit assist game this year with 10 ? her first since a Nov. 28 win against North Carolina State. It also was the most points scored by Oregon since it had 68 against Santa Clara nine games ago. Oregon's Andrea Bills, who helped get Polk in foul trouble, proved to be the best post player on the night with 16 points and nine rebounds. Freshman forward Eleanor Haring was Oregon's other double-digit scorer, tying a career-best with 14 along with a career-high five steals.
Polk, Arizona's 6-foot-5 All-America center, was held to seven points ? her third-lowest scoring output this year ? and eight rebounds in 23 minutes. She shot just 3-of-8 from the field.
Arizona State (11-6, 5-3), which beat Oregon State 63-56, next visits McArthur Court on Saturday in a game televised nationally on Fox Sports Net. Tipoff is at noon.
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