University of Oregon
Arizona State
Determined Ducks Lose 74-65 to Sun Devils
01/22/05 | Women's Basketball
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Oregon women's basketball team nearly did what few teams have done at Wells Fargo Arena ... win. A first-half defensive battle turned into a second-half shooting spree as the Ducks lost a hard-fought 74-65 game Saturday afternoon to Arizona State.
The Ducks (12-6, 5-4 Pac-10) lost for the fifth straight time at Tempe, but they didn't go down quietly.
Oregon cut into Arizona State's 55-40 lead with 4:57 left, going on a 15-6 run to make it 61-55 with 1:31 left, but the Sun Devils hit their free throws down the stretch to ward off the Ducks.
"Our team still feels good about what we created in this game and how we played intensely," Oregon coach Bev Smith said. "There are no moral victories and our team is very disappointed. This is a tough place to play and they play very well at home."
Arizona State held a 23-19 halftime advantage as both teams shot under 35 percent. In the second half, the Sun Devils outscored the Ducks 51-46 as both team shot above 50 percent.
Emily Westerberg scored 17 of her career-high 26 points, thanks in part to eight second-half free throw conversions, as Arizona State improved to 14-5 and 6-3.
Senior forward Cathrine Kraayeveld was Oregon's lone double-figure scorer, notching her sixth double-double of the season and 26th of her career with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with 10 rebounds.
"We're happy about the way we played, although we came up with a loss," Kraayeveld said. "We were a lot more aggressive and assertive than we were against Arizona (Thursday)."
"For the most part I thought we should have boxed Kraayeveld out better," Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "She really had to work for things and she didn't get any clean looks that she usually gets. We did a solid job on her overall."
Oregon committed 25 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, against Arizona State's physical man-to-man defense.
"In the first half we were a bit disappointed with the turnovers," Smith said. "What I think hurt us in the second half we had a few defensive breakdowns, in part from our fatigue and the way Arizona State plays."
Kylan Loney also helped thwart Oregon's comeback effort by draining three long 3-pointers in a four-minute stretch as the Sun Devils outscored the Ducks 13-6 in that span. Loney finished with 13 points while Aubree Johnson came off the bench to add 10.
Eleanor Haring and Andrea Bills, battling the flu, each scored nine points for Oregon.
The Ducks return home to play host to No. 25-ranked UCLA Thursday at 7 p.m. and USC Saturday at 1 p.m.
"Our homestand is big for us," said Smith, whose team is 7-1 at McArthur Court this year. "We have to take care of our games at home. Our destiny is in our own hands."
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