Ducks Complete Sweep Of Beavers In Regular Season Finale

Saturday, March 1

Eugene, Ore.

4 p.m.

University of Oregon

Oregon State

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

Ducks Complete Sweep Of Beavers In Regular Season Finale

03/02/08 | Women's Basketball

By: GoDucks.com

EUGENE, Ore. ? The Oregon women's basketball team continued to build its momentum for next week's State Farm Pacific-10 Tournament with a 60-49 victory over Oregon State on Saturday night at Mac Court.

In front of a season-best crowd of 3,414, Oregon fans said their final goodbye at home to senior Kaela Chapdelaine, as the Ducks completed the season sweep of the Beavers for the first time in three seasons.

Oregon improves 13-16 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-10. Oregon State falls to 11-18 and 4-14 in conference.

Freshman forward Ellie Manou scored a season-high 18 points, recording her second consecutive game with double figures. She added six rebounds on a 9-of-14 shooting performance.

“She played a great game,” head coach Bev Smith said of Manou. “She's been developing and evolving in her understanding of the game. Her capabilities and potential have always been there, and we just have to get her to play with more intensity like she did.”

The Ducks head to the State Farm Pac-10 Tournament next week having won three of their last four, including their last two.

Despite previously stated, Oregon still has the chance to be the No. 6 seed. If Washington loses to Cal tomorrow, both the Huskies and Ducks would be even with 7-11 conference records. With both teams having matched records against opponents throughout the conference standings, the tie breaker would come down to overall winning percentage against all Division I opponents. Oregon would have the better winning percentage between the two programs.

“(The win) gives us momentum,” Chapdelaine said. “We have a decent draw in the tournament. We feel good. We are playing well, and we can go far in the Pac-10 Tournament.”

Junior point guard Tamika Nurse added 16 points for Oregon on 7-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line. Chapdelaine matched her career high with eight assists.

Junior Tiffany Ducker led Oregon State with 17 points, while Alex Mitchell posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Oregon State went on a 12-6 run that cut the Ducks' lead to 43-41, after Julie Futch hit a three-pointer on the wing. But Manou answered right back for Oregon with a jumper of her own.

The Ducks ended the game on a 13-6 run, and shot 52.0 percent from the floor in the second half.

Nurse gave Oregon a temporary 37-29 lead after draining a three-pointer on the wing with 10:54 to go.

In the first half, neither team shot better than 30.0 percent, but the Ducks went into the locker room ahead 26-21, capped by a Lilley three-pointer with just three seconds remaining.

Taylor Lilley, Nurse and Manou each had six points apiece in the first 20 minutes, while Tiffany Ducker led Oregon State with six.

QUICK QUACKS: The game was the final at Mac Court for Oregon senior Kaela Chapdelaine, she has appeared in 120 games for the Ducks, becoming the fifth player in program history to reach that feat...she has started the last 89 games for the Ducks...Oregon swept the Beavers for the first time since the 2004-05 season.