University of Oregon
Miami (Fla.)
Ducks Blow Past Hurricanes, 79-73
11/26/04 | Women's Basketball
BROOKLYN, N.Y. ? One game down, one more to go for the Oregon women's basketball team at the Long Island Turkey Classic. Behind 21-point outings from Eleanor Haring and Chelsea Wagner, the Ducks put away Miami 79-73 Friday at the Schwartz Center in the semifinal game.
Haring hit on her first nine shots and finished 10-of-11 from the field ? the 10th best field-goal percentage (.909) in a single game in Oregon history. Meanwhile, Wagner hit three of her five 3-pointers in the pivotal second half, tying a career-high in points. It was a redeeming game for both Ducks, as the two had shot a combined 4-of-25 for 11 points in the season's first two games.
Oregon (3-0) will play host school Long Island (1-1) in the championship game Saturday at 1 p.m. PST. Miami (2-2) has a matchup with Maryland-Eastern Shore (0-4), which lost to LIU in the opening game, 56-49.
"We came out pretty focused and ready to play," said Wagner, who also had a career-best four steals. "Basketball is a game of runs and we made a few key ones tonight."
Wagner hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Oregon a 60-55 lead with 7:27 on the clock.
"We opened up their zone to where they had to collapse inside," Oregon coach Bev Smith said. "(Chelsea) was itching to shoot the ball. It was a dagger in their hearts, because they felt our main strength was inside."
Oregon never relinquished its 32-30 halftime lead, although the Hurricanes would not go away. Miami's Tamara James, who led all players with 22 points, scored on a fast-break lay-in to cut the Ducks' advantage to 66-65 with 3:43 left in the game. But senior forward Cathrine Kraayeveld came to life with two lay-ups ? one of them on a perfect entry pass from Corrie Mizusawa to make it 75-67 with 1:21 remaining ? and two key defensive rebounds in the final minutes.
"We weathered their storm," said Smith, whose team had four players in double-figure scoring. "We came back and weathered it and went ahead. It not only took their momentum away but also their confidence. We did a really good job of finishing the game."
The Ducks shot a scorching 62 percent from the field in the second half and made 53 percent of their shots overall. Miami managed to shoot 47 percent.
"Overall, as a team, we had really good flow today," said Haring, a sophomore. We hit the open people and made the right reads. We had opportunities to run off our defense."
The Ducks' defense created 13 steals, which is two more than the highest total in any game last year. Andrea Bills and Mizusawa each picked up three, while Kraayeveld had two along with blocking three shots and notching a team-high nine rebounds. Oregon had trouble stopping James and Yalonda McCormick, who ended up with 18 points, 10 assists and three steals.
Mizusawa, who tied the single-game assists record last season with 14, passed out 12 against Miami, which is tied for the sixth best mark in school history.
Oregon won the battle of the boards for the third straight game, 34-29
"Miami is a very explosive and quick team," Smith said. "We had to do a few things defensively to adjust to that and mix some things up. It's the most talented team we've played this season so far."
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