Ducks-Beavers to Battle Saturday in 72nd Civil War
What’s Up
The Oregon women's basketball team (11-10, 3-8 Pac-10) clashes with Oregon State (11-9, 5-6) in the 72nd Civil War, Presented by Your Northwest Dodge Dealers. Tipoff is Saturday at 7 p.m. at Gill Coliseum.
Radio/TV
The Civil War will be televised live on the Beaver Sports Network ? KVAL (13) Eugene, KPDX (49) Portland, KOBI (5) Medford, KPIC (4) Roseburg, and KCBY (11) Coos Bay. Todd McKim and Scott Lynn will call the action. All Oregon women’s basketball games are broadcast by either KUGN (590) or KSCR (1320 AM) in Eugene and KUIK (1360 AM) in Portland, with Ray Martin providing the play-by-play for the ninth straight year. Radio broadcasts also can be heard on GoDucks.com for premium-service subscribers.
Coach Bev Smith
Oregon’s fifth women’s basketball coach, Bev Smith leads her alma mater in her first U.S. college coaching stint. In 2001, she joined two other first-year Pac-10 coaches who won at least 20 games?in 1993-94, USC’s Cheryl Miller (26 wins) and Oregon’s Jody Runge (20 wins). In addition to having served as the Canadian National Team coach (1997-01), she has coached 15 years in Italian pro leagues. An inductee into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (2003) and Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (2001), Smith was the head coach at the University of British Columbia for one year (1988-89). She will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in June 11-12, 2004, in Knoxville, Tenn. As a Duck, Smith earned first-team All-America honors twice and still holds school records for rebounds (1,362), assists (443) and steals (349).
Series vs. Oregon State
The Ducks lead the series 50-21, including wins in four of the last five. Oregon is 20-13 at Gill Coliseum.
Last Time vs. Oregon State
Jan. 10, 2004, at Eugene
Brandi Davis scored 12 of her season-best 16 points in the final six minutes ? including a game-winning 19-footer with 4.9 seconds left ? as Oregon defeated Oregon State 56-54 before a season-high crowd of 5,097. Oregon State’s Leilani Estavan tried to send the game to overtime, but her running 17-foot jumper skipped off the rim, giving the Ducks their second in a row over the Beavers. Oregon trailed 45-37 after a basket by Oregon State’s Shannon Howell (24 points) with 11:24 left in the game. After two free throws by Kayla Steen, Davis began her hot shooting, as she nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Beavers’ lead to 45-42. Chelsea Wagner, who had 15 points, hit a 3-pointer from the corner. Davis then hit another one from the top to give Oregon its first lead, 48-47, since the game’s first basket. The Beavers regained the lead at 54-52 on a Howell lay-in with 3:51 left. Carolyn Ganes countered with a 12-footer to tie it at 54 with 3:31 on the clock. Davis, who hit 6-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-3 from long range in 16 minutes off the bench. Howell scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half and shot 9-of-20 from the floor and hit 5-of-5 from the foul line. Wagner scored all of her points from beyond the 3-point arc, making 5-of-11. The Ducks hit on 8-of-18 from long distance, while the Beavers struggled, making just 1-of-11. Oregon shot 25 percent (7-of-28) in the first half, but converted on 57 percent in the second half. Andrea Bills was the Ducks’ other double-digit scorer with 11 to go with a team-high six rebounds. Brina Chaney added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Beavers.
Bills Paying Off
Andrea Bills has led (or co-led) Oregon in rebounding the last 16 games. Bills, the team’s leading scorer (11.9) and rebounder (8.4; third in the Pac-10), also leads the team with 15 double-figure scoring games. Even more remarkably, Bills hasn’t missed a game in her three-year career, currently playing in 84 straight.
Heating Up
Brandi Davis has scored in double-figures in eight of the last 11 games. She is Oregon’s leading scorer in Pac-10 games (11.9, 13th in conference) and ranks third in shooting percentage (.397).
Mizusawa Moving Up Assist Chart
Corrie Mizusawa ranks seventh all-time on Oregon’s assist list with 140. The school record is 190 set by Jacquie Semeniuk in 1988-89. If Mizusawa maintains her 6.4 assists-per-game average through the remainder of the Pac-10 season (including one conference tourney game), she would finish with 193. Mizusawa needs six more assists which would move her past Bev Smith (143) and Lauri Landerholm (145) for fifth place.
Wagner Wows
Chelsea Wagner is becoming the consistent outside threat Oregon hasn’t seen since former sharpshooter Jamie Craighead (1998-02). Playing on a torn lateral meniscus in her left knee, Wagner came off the bench and tied a career-high with five 3-pointers in successive games against Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA. She scored a season-high 20 points against the Sun Devils. The UCLA game marked the fourth time this year she has made five 3-pointers in a game.
Downtown Davis
Brandi Davis is in seventh place on Oregon’s all-time 3-pointers list with 84 ? one behind Lisa Bowyer (1996-99).
Topsy-Turvy
No player in school history has finished a season with more assists than points. Corrie Mizusawa, who has 140 assists and 116 points, is threatening to be the first. Former Duck and current associate head coach Allison McNeill nearly accomplished the feat in 1980-81 with 152 points and 151 assists. Oregon State’s Boky Vidic is the last known Pac-10 player to accomplish the feat with 203 assists and 182 points in 1994-95. The largest differential was by UCLA’s Teiko Nishi in 1987-88 (78 points, 128 assists).
Home Cookin’
Oregon is shooting 37 percent from 3-point territory at McArthur Court and 30 percent on the road. Further, Chelsea Wagner is shooting a remarkable 19-of-43 (44 percent) in 10 home games from long range compared to just 10-of-41 (24 percent) in 10 road games.
Foul Play
Last year, Brandi Davis shot just 18 free throws in 28 games. In 2003-04, she is 32-of-37 (87 percent), including a streak of 18 in a row snapped last Thursday.
Down-Under Duck
Eleanor Haring (Mullaloo, West Australia) has been Oregon’s third-leading scorer (8.0) and second-leading rebounder (3.8). Making her case for the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team, she has scored in double-figures the last five games and is the second-leading scorer among all Pac-10 freshmen (UCLA’s Noelle Quinn is at 13.4). Haring would be the third straight selection for Oregon (happened once before ? 1997-99).
The ?D’ is Back in Ducks
The Ducks, who finished ninth in the Pac-10 in points allowed (70.5) last year, are giving up just 63.8 points per game, ranking seventh in the league. Oregon has held its opponents to fewer than 60 points nine times, winning each of those games. The Ducks also were last in the Pac-10 in defending the 3-pointer (.376), but are second this year (.306).
Injury Update
Sophomore guard Chelsea Wagner partially tore the lateral meniscus in her left knee, MRI results revealed Jan. 21. She suffered the injury at Washington (Jan. 15) late in the game. Wagner’s knee fluids get drained a few times each week to allow her to play. She missed the season’s first three games nursing a leg injury.
Road Woes
The Ducks are 14-21 on the road under Bev Smith and 18-24 overall (including neutral sites). Oregon hasn’t been above .500 on the road since going 10-5 in 1999-00. Strangely, considering the Ducks’ amazing success at home over the years, they have a better Pac-10 road record this season (2-4) than home (1-4).
