EUGENE, Ore.
? After a rough stretch against two top-10 opponents last week, Oregon
returned home to Mac Court
in dominating fashion, moving back to .500 in the Pacific-10 with a 64-45
victory over Washington State
in front of 2,468 on Thursday night.
Nearly a month after suffering an ankle sprain against Tulsa
on Dec. 19, freshman Nicole Canepa led the Ducks in scoring for just the second
time this year with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
“I am really starting to get back into the flow of the
games,” Canepa said. “I feel more prepared and ready now. I feel much more
comfortable on the floor.”
Oregon is now
9-8 on the season and 3-3 in the Pac-10, while Washington
State is 3-14, and still searching
for its first league victory at 0-6.
Ellyce Ironmonger also reached double figures for Oregon
with 10, while Ellie Manou and Kaela Chapdelaine led the Ducks with nine
rebounds apiece. Junior guard Tamika Nurse led Oregon with a season-high tying six assists.
“We've really been trying to establish that inside presence,
and with our young players, it's been a process,” Oregon
head coach Bev Smith said. “They've really made some improvements.”
Ten of eleven players who saw action for Oregon
scored during the game, as freshmen Nia Jackson and Tatianna Thomas again
received extended playing time, and the Ducks' bench was able to contribute
significantly, combining for 31 points.
Washington State,
which shot 25.9 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 17 times, was
led by Alexa Price's 11 points.
As both teams were struggling for baskets in the second
half, Ironmonger and Lilley scored on back-to-back possessions for Oregon
to kick start the offense back into gear.
Price answered back with a triple of her own with 13:25 left on the clock and Oregon
leading 41-28.
The Ducks then pieced together an 8-3 run, with Canepa,
Manou and Nurse all scoring.
“We're determined and we don't give up,” Manou said. “We're
freshmen and we do make mistakes, but we try our hardest for the team.”
The Ducks went into the half leading 32-23, after Washington
State's Colleen Betteridge knocked down a three-pointer with less than three
seconds left on the game clock.
Oregon built its
first double-digit lead, 20-9, with Canepa coming off the bench and scoring
eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in her first four minutes of action.
All of the Ducks' post players were active early. With less
than five minutes remaining in the first, the Oregon guards had combined to
shoot 0-of-9 from the floor, while the frontcourt was a blazing 10-of-18, with Victoria
Kenyon, Ironmonger, Canepa and Manou all scoring multiple field goals.
“When you play a match-up zone and key in on her (Taylor
Lilley), it leaves it open for the posts to hurt you,” Washington
State coach June Daugherty said.
Lilley finally broke the guards' drought with their first field
goal, a three-pointer at the 2:39
mark, giving Oregon a 27-17
advantage. It opened the flood gates, as Chapdelaine hit her first bucket, also
a three-pointer, with 1:30 remaining
to the break
Both team struggled from the floor in the first half, as the
Cougars shot just 24.1 percent, and Oregon
at 37.1.
Oregon will
next host Washington at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Huskies (7-11, 2-4)
come into the game, after a 68-64 loss to Oregon
State in Corvallis.
QUICK QUACKS: The Ducks now lead the Pac-10 series with Washington
State, 33-10...Canepa reached double
figures for the first time since scoring 14 points on Nov. 29 in a 66-45 win
over Long Beach State.
