Ducks Meet Bears Monday in NCAA Second Round
What’s Up
Coming off its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1999, No. 10-seed Oregon (21-9) will play No. 2-seed and fifth-ranked Baylor (28-3) Monday at Bank of America Arena on the University of Washington campus. Tipoff will be at 6:07 p.m. The Oregon-Baylor winner will advance to the Tempe Regional at Wells Fargo Arena and play the winner of Minnesota and Virginia in the Sweet 16.
Snapshot
The Ducks’ second-place Pac-10 finish (12-6) was their highest since winning the conference in 2000 and they reached 20 wins for the first time since 2002 and 14th time in the progam’s 32-year history. This is Oregon’s 12th NCAA Tournament appearance overall. The Ducks earned eight straight berths between 1994 and 2001.
Oregon in the NCAA Tournament
Oregon is 5-11 in NCAA Tournament games (17-14 in all postseason competition) and has never advanced past the second round. Before the Ducks’ win Saturday over TCU, Oregon’s last two NCAA Tournament games were overtime losses ? 89-82 in 2001 to Iowa in Salt Lake City and 80-79 to UAB the previous year in Eugene. Overall, the Ducks have played once in Salt Lake, Athens, Nashville, Boulder and San Diego, twice in Knoxville and Seattle (including Monday), three times in Ames and five in Eugene.
Radio/TV - PLEASE NOTE
The Oregon-Baylor game will be televised live on ESPN2 throughout the state of Oregon VIA CABLE PROVIDERS with Dave Revsine doing play-by-play, Mary Murphy on color and Rob Stone doing the sideline reporting. FANS WITH SATELLITE DISHES, coverage varies and is decided upon by ESPN and your satellite cable provider. The game also will be on ESPNU and subscribers to ESPN FullCourt pay-per-view package. All Oregon women’s basketball games also are broadcast on KSCR (1320 AM) and KUGN (590 AM) in Eugene as well as KUIK (1360 AM) in Portland, with Ray Martin providing the play-by-play for the 10th straight year. If the women’s game conflicts with the Oregon men’s game, KSCR will air the women. Radio broadcasts can be heard on GoDucks.com for premium-service subscribers.
Ducks Short on NCAA Experience
Before Saturday’s game against TCU, Corrie Mizusawa had been the only Oregon player to have seen court time in an NCAA Tournament, playing into the second round with Saint Mary’s during her freshman year in 2001. Cathrine Kraayeveld was on the last Oregon team to make it in 2001 against Iowa, but didn’t play in that game.
Coach Bev Smith
Oregon’s fifth women’s basketball coach, Bev Smith leads her alma mater in her fourth year and first U.S. college coaching stint. In addition to having served as the Canadian National Team coach (1997-01), she coached for 15 years in the Italian pro leagues. Smith has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2004), 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). 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).
Pac-10 Shining in NCAAs
Although rated just the sixth strongest conference by the RPI, the Pac-10 has performed when it counts as they won all five first round games in this year’s NCAA Tournament, the first time it’s happened in league history. The Pac-10 had won four first-round NCAA tourney games four different times (1993, 1994, 1997).
Series vs. Baylor
This will be the first meeting between the Ducks and Lady Bears.
Ducks vs. Big 12
Oregon is 6-13 all-time vs. Big 12 schools. The Ducks have defeated only one Texas-based Big 12 team in nine tries ? a win over Texas A&M in 1990. Oregon also has played Iowa State (1-2), Kansas (2-2), Kansas State (1-0), Texas (0-4), Texas A&M (1-1) and Texas Tech (0-3). The Ducks have played Big 12 teams twice in the NCAAs ? Missouri in 1982 and Iowa State in 1999.
Common Opponents
Baylor and Oregon shared just one common opponent this year ? ironically it was Washington. The Lady Bears defeated the Huskies 74-58 on Dec. 15 at Seattle. Meanwhile, the Ducks split with Washington, winning 86-77 at McArthur Court on Jan. 15 and losing 81-57 at Seattle as the Ducks played without All-Pac-10 forward Cathrine Kraayeveld.
Ducks Beat Ranked Team for First Time Since December
The Ducks’ win over No. 23-ranked TCU was their first victory over a top 25 team since upsetting Stanford (62-58) Dec. 29 in Eugene. Oregon is 2-3 against top 25-ranked opponents this season.
Three Ducks Earn Pac-10 Honors
Andrea Bills and Cathrine Kraayeveld both were first-time All-Pac-10 selections Thursday while Kristen Forristall became the third straight Oregon player (Carolyn Ganes, 2003; Eleanor Haring, 2004) to make the All-Freshman Team. Bills has been an honorable mention pick once (2004) and Kraayeveld twice (2002, 2003).
Kraayeveld a Region 8 All-American
Cathrine Kraayeveld earned WBCA/Kodak All-America Region 8 honors for the first time in her career. Kraayeveld now is a finalist for selection to the Kodak/WBCA All-America Team which will be announced at the Final Four on April 2. Kraayeveld joins a prestigious six-member list that also includes Nikki Blue (UCLA), Kristen Mann (UCSB), Shawntinice Polk (Arizona), Dee-Dee Wheeler (Arizona) and Candice Wiggins (Stanford). WBCA Region 8 members vote on the nominees, who are comprised of the Pac-10, Big West, Mountain West, WAC, Big Sky and West Coast conferences. The last UO player to accomplish the feat was Shaquala Williams (2002, 2000). Bev Smith is the only Duck to make the First Team ? a two-time member in 1981 and 1982.
Kraayeveld’s Korner
Cathrine Kraayeveld is ranked in seven Pac-10 statistical categories ? sixth in both scoring (14.7) and 3-point percentage (.368) and second in rebounds (8.3), blocked shots (1.3) and defensive rebounding (6.6) while placing ninth in free throw percentage (.759) and 10th in field goal percentage (.461). She has scored in double-figures 24 times and has notched nine double-doubles this year (28 overall). Kraayeveld also became the 18th Duck to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career (1,136 ? 14th all-time). She ranks sixth all-time at Oregon in blocked shots (130), eighth in rebounds (766), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.385) and eighth in made 3-pointers (80).
Bills Paying Her Dues
Senior post player Andrea Bills defines consistency. Bills has played in every contest of her collegiate career (122, second place all-time in Oregon history ? two behind Jenny Mowe’s 124) and has made a remarkable 103 consecutive appearances in the starting lineup. Bills also continues to climb Oregon’s all-time rebounding chart with 821, good for seventh all-time. She is ninth in the Pac-10 in scoring (11.6), fourth in rebounding (7.1), fourth in field goal percentage (.513) and ninth in blocked shots (0.9). Bills has scored 1,205 career points, 12th all-time at UO.
Homecoming a Long-Time Coming
Before Saturday’s game with TCU, fifth-year senior Cathrine Kraayeveld, a native of Seattle suburb Kirkland, had not played a game in her home area since scoring 26 in WNIT victory over Washington on March 20, 2002. Kraayeveld had been sidelined each of the last three years due to injury ? 2005 (inflamed left elbow day before the game), 2004 (right ACL), 2003 (staph infection in right knee) ? in games against the Huskies.
Home Sweet Home
Oregon went 12-1 at home this year (9-0 in conference play). It marked only the third time in program history the Ducks have finished the Pac-10 home slate undefeated ? it also happened in 1998-99 and 1986-87. Since the Pac-10 began to sponsor women’s basketball in 1986-87, Oregon’s best home record was in 1998-99, where it went 14-1.
Dialing Long Distance
The Ducks rank third in the Pac-10 with 5.8 three-pointers made per game ? the highest average in Oregon history ? and a .348 shooting percentage from long range. The Ducks’ 174 3-pointers also is the second-most in program history (194 in 2001-02).
Getting Defensive
They say defense wins championships. And the Oregon defense this year has certainly paved the way for success. On Dec. 4, George Washington had its worst scoring game (40) since 1988, also which was the fewest points allowed by a Bev Smith team. The 46-point total for Portland in the season-opener is the third fewest allowed in Smith’s tenure. In the Pac-10 opening week, both Cal (50) and Stanford (58) were contained to its fewest points all season. In the Ducks’ win over Washington in the Pac-10 Tournament, the Huskies scored their second-fewest points all season. Oregon has held its opponents to fewer than 60 points 19 times and 50 or fewer in six instances this year. The Ducks also rank third in the Pac-10 in scoring defense (60.5). Just two years ago, Oregon ranked ninth in the league in scoring defense at 70.5.
Passing Fancy
Point guard Corrie Mizusawa has led the Pac-10 in assists in each of the last two seasons. This year, she is averaging 6.9 assists, good for third in the nation and has set the Oregon single-season record with 201 ... and counting. Her 2.9 assists-to-turnover ratio also leads the league and is third in the nation behind West Virginia’s Yolanda Paige and Villanova’s Betsy McManus. Mizusawa holds the top three marks for assists (although tied with other Ducks) in a single game at Oregon ? 14, 13 and, earlier this year, 12 against Miami. She also ranks fifth all-time in school history with 373.
Mizusawa In Rare Company
Corrie Mizusawa also could become one of the very few players in collegiate basketball history ? men or women ? to finish a career with more assists than points and the first to do so since 1990. Based on the criterium of playing in at least two-thirds of his/her team’s games, here’s where Mizusawa stacks up:
Player, School (Years) Assists Points Diff. 1. Mary Gavin, Notre Dame (1984-88) 778 622 +156
2. Crystal Woodard, Mount St. Mary’s (1979-83) 740 603 +137
3. Michelle Koenig, Cincinnati (1988-90) 231 223 +8
4. Corrie Mizusawa (2000-present) 614 607 +7
Dynamic Duo
Cathrine Kraayeveld and Andrea Bills are one of only three tandems in the nation with more than 700 career rebounds apiece. They join an elite group that includes Baylor’s Steffanie Blackmon and Sophia Young along with Kansas State’s Kendra Wecker and Megan Mahoney ? coincidentally all of whom are playing in the second round of the NCAAs at Seattle. Bills and Kraayeveld also are one of two duos in the Pac-10 with more than 1,000 career points ? the other is Arizona’s Dee-Dee Wheeler and Shawntinice Polk.
A Hard Road
The Ducks are 19-29 on the road under Bev Smith and 26-33 overall (including neutral sites). After dropping seven of its last nine on the road this year, Oregon is 5-7. Oregon hasn’t been above .500 on the road since going 10-5 in 1999-00.
Giant Killers
Oregon’s Dec. 29 win over then No. 5-ranked Stanford tied the highest-ranked team the Ducks have ever defeated. Baylor, also ranked No. 5, could be the next giant to fall. On the same date (Dec. 29) in 1983, Oregon beat No. 5 Maryland at the Winston Tire Classic in Los Angeles. Last year, Oregon claimed a win over Final Four bound and No. 9-ranked LSU and again beat Stanford, ranked No. 10 at the time.
Ducks Finish First in Pac-10 in Attendance
Oregon’s 3,896 crowd average at McArthur Court ranks first in the Pac-10 and the 27th best in the nation, in unofficial rankings compiled weekly by the University of Wisconsin. Stanford finished barely behind the Ducks with an average of 3,891.
Home-Court Advantage
When seniors Cathrine Kraayeveld and Andrea Bills were in the starting lineup at McArthur Court, the Ducks posted a 28-3 record over the course of their careers. They have only lost to Arizona State (Jan. 6, 2002), Stanford (Feb. 7, 2002) and Ohio State (Dec. 18, 2004).
Davis Delivering
Brandi Davis has given the Ducks a much-needed spark in the last two months. On Feb. 19 vs. Arizona she led the team in scoring for the fourth time in a seven-game stretch with 19 points, preceded by a 16-point game against ASU en route to her second U.S. Bank Pac-10 Player of the Week honor of the year ? only the fourth time an Oregon player has been honored more than once in a season and first since Arianne Boyer did it in 1997 (Kasperski, three times 1989; Landerholm, twice 1987). On Jan. 27, Davis lit up the scoreboard against UCLA with a career-high 28 points. It was the most points scored by an Oregon player since Cathrine Kraayeveld had 33 against Santa Clara in 2002. Davis is tied for third place on Oregon’s all-time 3-pointers list with 144. Davis leads the team with 44 baskets from 3-point range this year and led the team with 43 last year and 54 in 2002-03.
What’s Happened
Ducks vs. TCU (Sat., March 19, at Seattle)
With the game on the line in the final minutes, Oregon didn’t crack under the pressure. With Cathrine Kraayeveld scoring 23 points and Brandi Davis hitting two critical 3-point baskets, the 10th-seeded Ducks upset the seventh-seeded Lady Frogs 58-55 on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kraayeveld made two free throws to put Oregon ahead 57-53 with 16.9 seconds left before Vanessa Clementino responded with a layup for TCU with 11 seconds go to. Davis made a free throw with 10.1 seconds left, and TCU’s Ashley Davis missed a 3-point attempt as the buzzer sounded. TCU’s Niki Newton and Clementino were in tears at the end of the game. Sandora Irvin, the Lady Frogs’ premier shotblocking senior, hugged Newton on the floor to soothe her emotions. The 6-foot-3 Irvin led the Lady Frogs with 14 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots, while Natasha Lacy and Clementino each had 10 points. Irvin finished six points below her average and fouled out with 1:29 left. It was an emotional and thrilling final 10 minutes. With the crowd chanting “Let’s go Ducks, let’s go Ducks” at Pac-10 rival Washington’s arena, the Ducks overcame an eight-point deficit in the final 9:49. Trailing 46-38, Oregon cut it to 46-45 on a 15-footer by Gabrielle Richards, a 3-pointer by Kraayeveld and two free throws by Richards. Two free throws by Clementino put the Lady Frogs ahead 48-45 with 5:50 left before Davis sank a 3-pointer. Kraayeveld, a 6-foot-4 senior from nearby Kirkland, made two free throws, but Irvin of TCU tied the score for the final time at 4:26 with a pair of free throws. Andrea Bills bulled her way in for a layup with 3:36 left and Davis hit her second 3-pointer for Oregon before Lacy’s 3-pointer for TCU with 32 seconds cut the Ducks’ lead with 55-53 with 32 seconds left. Bills had 10 points and eight rebounds, while Oregon point guard Corrie Mizusawa had eight assists, one more than the TCU team had. Irvin finished with 150 blocks this season, two shy of the NCAA single-season record. She finished with 480 blocks, the NCAA career record. Oregon (21-9) won on a floor where it lost to Washington 81-57 during the Pac-10 season. The Ducks finished in a tie for second in the Pac-10 race. The Conference USA tournament champion and No. 23 Lady Frogs (23-10) had won six of their final seven games. Their season ended in disappointment after flying 2,100 miles to Seattle. The Ducks won their first tournament game since 1999, while TCU lost a first-round tournament game for the first time in the school’s history, having won four in a row.
Ducks vs. Arizona State (Sun., March 6, at San Jose)
Arizona State capitalized on four Oregon turnovers in the final 2:31 to win 54-47 in the semifinals of the State Farm Pac-10 Tournament at HP Pavilion. Oregon led 47-43 on two Kristen Forristall free throws at the 2:31 mark. Emily Westerberg countered with two running lay-ins to tie it at 47 apiece. A tough turnaround 8-foot baseline jumper by Aubree Johnson gave the Sun Devils a lead they wouldn’t lose. Meanwhile, the Ducks missed on their final five field goal attempts in the last five minutes. Oregon grabbed its largest lead of the game at 37-29 with 13:19 left, thanks to a suffocating defense that forced Arizona State into 1-of-16 shooting to open the second half. The Sun Devils chipped away at the lead and tied it at 37 all on a Westerberg lay-in. Cathrine Kraayeveld led Oregon with 14 points while Andrea Bills was the Ducks’ other double-digit scorer with 11 to go with five rebounds. Johnson had 14 to lead Arizona State and Westerberg scored 12. Oregon forced Arizona State into 32 percent shooting while the Ducks made 37 percent, but just 29 percent after halftime. Corrie Mizusawa, who had eight points, five rebounds and three assists for the Ducks, set the single-season assists standard with 193. She claimed the record on a pass to Kraayeveld for a lay-up four-and-a-half minutes into the game.
Ducks vs. Washington (Sat., March 5, at San Jose)
Andrea Bills and Cathrine Kraayeveld each notched double-doubles as Oregon won 64-50 in the quarterfinals of the State Farm Pac-10 Tournament. Kraayeveld had 20 points and 10 boards ? her ninth double-double this year ? while Bills scored 18 and also grabbed 10 rebounds ? as the No. 2-seed Ducks won their first conference tournament game since 2002. Washington, which had soundly beaten Oregon in Seattle Feb. 12, ends its season with a 14-16 mark. Oregon, which trailed by as many as seven in the first half, used a 14-2 run the final 5:31 to lead 30-25 at halftime. The Huskies fought back to take a 36-34 lead with 16:24 remaining, but a 3-pointer by Kaela Chapdelaine and baskets by Kraayeveld, Bills and Kristen Forristall sparked the Ducks to an 11-3 run and a lead they would not relinquish. In all, Oregon dominated the paint, outrebounding Washington 54-39, and scored the majority of its baskets on lay-ups. Last month in Seattle, the Huskies had a 13-rebound advantage as the Ducks played without their leading rebounder Kraayeveld. Bills made 8-of-12 from the field in only 17 minutes. Freshman Gabrielle Richards also provided a lift off the bench with 10 points and seven rebounds to go with two blocked shots. The Huskies, playing without leading scorer Kayla Burt (flu), had one double-digit scorer, Cameo Hicks (17). Oregon’s defense held Washington, the tournament’s No. 7 seed, to its second-fewest points all season. It was the fourth time this season Bills and Kraayeveld had a double-double in the same game, with the Ducks winning all four.
Bills 10th on Double-Figure Scoring List
Andrea Bills’ 10-point outing Saturday vs. TCU gave her 63 double-figure scoring games in her career, tying for the 10th-best total in Oregon history with Debbie Adams (1977-81). With 65 double-digit scoring games, Renae Fegent (1994-97) is ninth on the list.
Ball Control
Oregon’s six turnovers Jan. 8 against Oregon State were its fewest in a game in school history, according to available records. In addition, the Ducks’ seven-turnover game against nationally-ranked Ohio State was their second-lowest turnover mark ever. The previous low-turnover game was eight, which had happened many times. Oregon has the third-fewest turnovers in the Pac-10 with 472. Oregon is 6-8 when turning the ball over more than its opponent, compared to 14-1 when having the same or fewer.
Bills Picked Pac-10 Player of the Week
Andrea Bills was picked the U.S. Bank Pac-10 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Dec. 22-29. Bills, who led Oregon to a home sweep of California and then-No. 5 Stanford, averaged 14.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and shot 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) from the field and 8-of-11 (72.7) from the foul line for the week. It was Oregon’s first honoree since Cathrine Kraayeveld did it in February 2002.
Fast Starters
Oregon tied the school record this year for consecutive wins to open a season (seven) since it joined the Pac-10 in 1986-87. The Ducks also began the 1996-97 season at 7-0. The all-time record is 21 in 1978-79.
Foreign Flavor
With five players from outside the U.S., the Ducks are tied for sixth in the country among Division I programs. Florida International and Long Island share the distinction of having the most foreign players with seven apiece. Arizona is the next Pac-10 team on the list with two foreigners on its roster. Among Canadian players, only Utah (five), Vermont (five), Canisius (four) and Quinnipiac (four) have more than Oregon (three).
St. Eleanor’s Fire
Sophomore Eleanor Haring hit on her first nine shots and finished 10-of-11 from the field ? the 10th best field-goal percentage (.909) in a single game in Oregon history ? also tied for the 12th-best single-game shooting performance in the nation in 2004-05.
