EUGENE, Ore.
? Taylor Lilley's first look at the basket on Tuesday night was a three-pointer
that the sophomore sank, and the 5-foot-6 sharpshooter went on from there to
lead the Ducks to a 57-56 victory over Marquette
at Mac Court in front of 2,164.
Leading the Ducks (2-1) with 17, Lilley was responsible for
the first basket of the evening and the game winner, which she dropped with 58
seconds left to give Oregon its
one-point lead.
“This was a big game,” head coach Bev Smith said. “We needed
to right the wrongs that went against us in the South
Dakota State game.”
Currently receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top
25 and Associated Press polls, the Golden Eagles (2-1) came to Eugene
after a 67-53 victory over then 25th-ranked Wisconsin
last Saturday, but suffered their first loss of the year at Mac
Court
Marquette was
without leading scorer and all-American, Krystal Ellis, who did not play
Tuesday and is currently day-to-day with a knee sprain.
For the third consecutive game in her young collegiate
career, Oregon starting center
Nicole Canepa reached double figures with 16 points. She was 5-for-10 from the
floor and 8-for-10 from the stripe.
Oregon senior
Kaela Chapdelaine added 10 points and a game-high six rebounds, while sophomore
Micaela Cocks and freshman Nia Jackson provided some defensive spark off the
bench.
“I though that was classic Kaela tonight,” Smith said. “She
was perfect from the line, no mistakes with the ball, plus grabbing the
game-winning offensive rebound.”
After Lilley's long-distance bucket at the start, Oregon was
held without a field goal for 10 minutes and 20 seconds, when Cocks finally
broke the Ducks' drought at the 9:17 mark with a three-pointer.
“We needed to take care of the ball better, most of our
turnovers were mainly unforced, either being offensive fouls or just not taking
care of the ball,” Chapdelaine said.
The Ducks slowly but surely crept back into the game at the
end of the half, led by Canepa under the basket and Chapdelaine on offense.
A Canepa rebound led to a Chapdelaine three-pointer bringing
the Ducks within 24-27 at the 1:37
mark. On Marquette's next
possession, Canepa hit the floor for a defensive rebound, and Chapdelaine sank
two free throws on the other end to bring the Ducks within one, 26-27.
The Golden Eagles made their way to free throw line before
the halftime buzzer sounded, and went into the locker room with a 31-28
advantage. Oregon was able to
keep the score close, despite only attempting 18 shots, and knocking down seven.
Marquette was
led by Svetlana Kovalenko's game-high 20 points, while Angel Robinson added 10.
The Golden Eagles committed 26 fouls and had two players foul out, but on the
opposite end couldn't take advantage of their own opportunities on the
free-throw line, shooting just 58.3 percent.
The Ducks shot 38.1 percent from the floor, sinking just 16
field goals, but were 19-of-26 (73.1%) from the free-throw line.
Oregon was
able to tie the game at 35 on an Ellie Manou jumper, but Marquette's
Kovalenko quickly answered with a three. Lilley evened the score with a three of
her own, and Canepa gave Oregon
its first lead of the second half, 40-38, on a layup.
Oregon
maintained that lead until the 1:14
mark, when a Kovalenko tipped in on an offensive rebound for Marquette.
Lilley and Oregon answered with a
layup for the game's final basket.
Oregon now
hits the road for the 2007 Holiday Inn and Suites Express Midtown Tournament,
hosted by the University of New
Mexico.
The Ducks will play Coppin
State on Friday with the tip
scheduled for 5 p.m. PST. Fans can
listen to the action on 1320 KSCR or follow live stats available on www.GoDucks.com or www.GoLobos.com.
On Saturday, Oregon
will either play Nicholls State
or New Mexico in the consolation
g (6 p.m. PST) or championship games
(8 p.m. PST).
QUICK QUACKS: Marquette
was Oregon's first Big East
opponent since defeating St. John's, 75-52, Nov. 30, 2001 in Lawrence Kansas at
the Jayhawk Classic...Marquette is receiving votes in both the USA Today/ESPN Top
25 poll and AP poll, but has yet to crack the top 25 despite knocking off Wisconsin
last week, who was ranked No. 25 at the time... for the second straight game
Oregon starting center Nicole Canepa fouled out.
