Ducks Head North for Final Roadie of the Regular Season
THIS WEEK
The Ducks (14-10, 5-9) make their final road trip of the regular season and attempt to earn Pac-10 win No. 1 away from Mac Court. Oregon faces fourth-place Washington on Thursday (7 p.m.) and last-place Washington State on Saturday (3 p.m.). UO swept its pair of home games against the two schools on Jan. 19 and 21, respectively.
POSTSEASON POSITIONING
Oregon begins the week in a seventh-place tie with Oregon State, two games behind California (7-7) for the sixth spot and a first-round bye at the State Farm Pac-10 Tournament (March 3-6) in San Jose, Calif. The Ducks currently hold the tiebreaker against the Beavers due to their win over Washington on Jan. 21.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE
Oregon’s home practice schedule this week is as follows:
Tue., Feb. 14, 1-4 p.m.
Practices at McArthur Court are open to the media and interviews may be conducted at the conclusion of each session. Please contact Andy McNamara (541-346-2253) if you plan on attending. All times are subject to change.
INJURY UPDATE
SR G Chelsea Wagner suffered a concussion in Sunday’s game against Arizona State and her playing status for Oregon’s next two games will not be determined until later in the week. Wagner collided with SO G Kaela Chapdelaine late in the second half and was hospitalized for observation before being released on Monday.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Washington (16-7, 9-5) took to the road last week for an important series with the LA schools and came home with a split, pulling out a dramatic 87-79 double overtime win over USC on Feb. 9, before falling 83-75 to UCLA on Feb. 11. JR G Cameo Hicks averaged 23 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in her two games last week. Hicks notched back-to-back 20-point games with a 25-point effort against the Women of Troy and a 21-point output against the Bruins. The Tracy, Calif. native, who had averaged just 11.3 ppg in her previous three outings, broke out to record her fifth and sixth 20-plus games of the season. JR F Breanne Watson recorded back-to-back double-doubles against the LA schools, including an 11-point, 10-rebound effort on Saturday. UW has won three straight meetings against the Ducks in Seattle.
All-Time Series: UO leads 22-20
Last Meeting: UO 81-73, Jan. 21, 2006, in Eugene.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Washington State (7-16, 1-13) SR F Keisha Moore nearly averaged a double-double this past weekend, but it was not enough as the Cougars came away from their road trip empty-handed, losing 77-50 to UCLA on Feb. 9 and 75-67 to USC on Feb. 11. Moore averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in two games last week, and has now scored in double-figures in five of her last six games. Over that six-game span she is averaging 16.5 points and six rebounds per game. She leads the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and blocks (1.4 bpg). In first-round action against the Oregon schools earlier this year, WSU lost to both teams by a combined five points (54-50 to the Ducks and 68-67 to the Beavers in OT). JR F Kate Benz currently owns a nine rebound per game average to lead the Pac-10.
All-Time Series: UO leads 31-9
Last Meeting: UO 54-50, Jan. 19, 2006, in Eugene.
LAST WEEK
The Ducks defeated Arizona, 78-58, and lost to No. 16 Arizona State, 62-52.
NO. 16 ARIZONA STATE STOPS DUCKS, 62-52
GAME RECAP - FEB. 12, 2006
EUGENE, Ore. ? The University of Oregon women’s basketball team could not find the right formula to halt the surging Arizona State Sun Devils, falling at home for just the third time this season, 62-52, in front of 3,850 at McArthur Court.
The No. 16 Sun Devils (20-5, 11-4 Pac-10) failed to make a field goal for the final 4:07 of the game, but their final one ? a three-point bomb by Crater High School product Amy Denson ? put the visitors up 17 at 60-43, effectively securing the outcome.
“We let them shoot the three-pointers a little bit too much and a little bit too open,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said in reference to ASU’s 7-of-13 effort from beyond the arc.
Turnover margin was also a big factor working against the Ducks (14-10, 5-9), who committed 18 to their opponents eight. The Sun Devils turned Oregon’s miscues into a 22-10 scoring edge in points off turnovers.
“Their defensive intensity and their quick guards put a lot of pressure on us,” Smith said. “There were times when we looked a bit harried by their defensive pressure.”
Oregon won the overall rebounding battle, 39-36, but attempted ten fewer shots from the floor because of turnovers and ASU’s 14-10 edge on the offensive glass.
“Defensively they’re fast and active and they put a lot of pressure on us, and we just didn’t handle that tonight,” said UO sophomore center Gabrielle Richards, who posted game-highs of 12 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
The Sun Devils received 10 points apiece from junior forwards Emily Westerberg and Aubree Johnson.
Richards helped limit 6-3 senior Kristen Kovesdy, the Pac-10 leader in field goal percentage to four points on 2-of-5 shooting.
On the Oregon side, senior guard Brandi Davis matched Richards with 12 points ? all in the second half ? and junior post Carolyn Ganes dropped in 10 points.
Arizona State took a seven-point advantage into halftime, 30-23, as both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket. ASU shot 35 percent and the Ducks converted 37.5 percent of their shots from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
DUCKS GO OUTSIDE, DOWN ARIZONA 78-58
GAME RECAP - FEB. 9, 2006
EUGENE, Ore. ? The Arizona Wildcats never had a chance.
With just seven players in uniform and facing an Oregon team anxious to make up for its recent road struggles with a game at cozy McArthur Court, the Wildcats were the unlucky guests for the Ducks’ record-setting performance in a 78-58 win.
Oregon cranked out a school record 15 three-pointers, including eight from the hot right hand of senior Chelsea Wagner, who equaled the Ducks’ single-game mark for an individual.
“My shot was dropping tonight and my teammates were getting me the ball,” Wagner said after scoring a game-high 24 points. “I usually don’t get that many open looks, so it was fun.”
Fun indeed for the 3,213 in attendance who watched Oregon (14-9, 5-8 Pac-10) shoot 56 percent from beyond the arc and improve to 5-1 at home during conference play this season.
“We spent a lot of time these last two practices on outside shooting because we thought that they were going to try and clog the middle,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said.
The injury-plagued Wildcats (7-17, 3-11) did a decent job at that, limiting UO’s starting post players to 5-of-14 shooting, but they had no answer for Oregon’s perimeter prowess.
“Not having players really changed our game plan,” said Arizona head coach Joan Bonvincini. “We wanted to be able to get out and press their shooters, but we just didn’t have the depth and Oregon played really well.”
Sophomore guard Kaela Chapdelaine and senior forward Kedzie Gunderson had 10 points and two three-balls apiece for the Ducks. Senior guard Brandi Davis had a pair of treys en route to eight points, and freshman guard Tamika Nurse converted one three-pointer and finished with eight points.
“This was a real important win for us,” Smith said. “Despite the absences, Arizona is a tough matchup because they’re small and can put the ball on the floor.”
The Ducks held a massive advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Wildcats, 49-31. Oregon sophomore center Gabrielle Richards led all players with 14 rebounds.
Junior guard Joy Hollingsworth posted a double-double for Arizona on 14 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Natalie Jones had 17 points and sophomore guard Ashley Whisonant added 16 in a losing cause.
ONE WIN AWAY
The Ducks are one win away from clinching their 24th winning season. Oregon has had only seven losing seasons and two .500 campaigns in the women’s basketball program’s 32 years.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Heading into this week’s action, the Ducks lead the Pac-10 (all games) in scoring defense (57.4) and field goal percentage defense (.350).
DIALED IN
As a team, Oregon has been dialed in at the free throw line all season long. The Ducks continue to pace the Pac-10 with a .755 mark, which also places them among the top foul shooting teams in the nation.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES
As of Feb. 13, SO C Gabrielle Richards leads the Pac-10 (all games) in free throw shooting at .891 and ranks third in field goal percentage at .507 ... SR G Chelsea Wagner is fourth in three-point field goal percentage at .440, while SR G Brandi Davis ranks sixth at .402 ... JR F Jessie Shetters and Richards rank sixth and seventh in blocks at 1.17 and 0.96 per game, respectively.
LEADING THE PAC AT MAC
The Ducks lead the Pac-10 in home attendance with an average of 3,729 fans per game thus far in 2005-06. That mark places Oregon 27th nationally among all NCAA Division I women’s basketball programs. Tennessee is the leader at 14,469 per home contest.
DAVIS CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Davis is looking to become the 19th member of Oregon’s 1,000-point club. Davis, who has 985 points, is currently seventh on the Pac-10’s active scoring list. She also ranks third on UO’s career three-point FG list with 180.
WAGNER MAKES HER MARK
Wagner now ranks seventh on the single-season three-point field goals list with 51 so far in 2005-06. Jamie Craighead (2000-01) is the school record holder with 81 in a single season.
WAGNER FIFTH ON CAREER LIST
Wagner’s first three-pointer at Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 14, was the 110th of her career, moving her into sole possession of fifth place on UO’s all-time list. She now has 127, which is 17 shy of Shaquala Williams (1998-2002) for fourth position.
?O’ WHAT A NIGHT
Oregon’s 20-point home win over Arizona on Feb. 9 was impressive enough based on the final 78-58 score, but how the Ducks scored more than half of those points was remarkable. UO drained a school-record 15 three-pointers, eclipsing the old mark by two, and Chelsea Wagner equalled the single-game individual mark by going 8-of-11 from downtown. Wagner’s effort was a Mac Court women’s record.
GANES NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JR C Carolyn Ganes was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 18 after leading the Ducks to consecutive road wins. She posted team-highs of 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, hit a game-winning three-pointer at Saint Mary’s (CA), and scored a career-high 26 points at Idaho State. She also set career-highs for assists (4), blocks (2), FG made (11) and attempted (23) against the Bengals.
CENTURY MARK
Oregon’s 102-point outburst vs. Prairie View A&M (12/10) at the Pap? Jam was the Ducks’ first 100-point game since Feb. 4, 1999, a 106-79 win over No. 7 UCLA. It was also the first 100-point game of head coach Bev Smith’s NCAA coaching career.
RECORD DEFENSE
The Ducks set a team record for fewest points allowed in a half, when they held St. Francis (Pa.) to 10 points in the first half of their 80-30 win on Nov. 11. The previous mark was 12 by Gonzaga on Dec. 14, 1996.
SHARING THE BASKETBALL
One of the biggest things head coach Bev Smith preached on offense heading into the season was sharing the ball. The Ducks responded in their first game of 2005-06 by dishing out 26 assists on 33 field goals, marking the most assists in a game by Oregon since dropping 27 dimes at Gonzaga Nov. 25, 2003.
EARLY SIGNINGS
Oregon inked a pair of highly regarded recruits during the early signing period in November. G Taylor Lilley (Newhall, Calif.) and F Mary Sbrissa (Castelfranco, Italy) will suit up for the Ducks as freshmen in 2006-07. Lilley, a 5-6 sharpshooter, played three years for nationally ranked club team Cal Swish. The 6-2 Sbrissa, a banger on the inside, played club ball for San Martino Di Lupari, near Venice, and is currently enrolled as a student at UO.
SMITH HONORED WITH SISLEY AWARD
Oregon head coach Bev Smith was honored as the recipient of the seventh annual Becky L. Sisley Award at a brunch before UO’s Feb. 12 game against Arizona State. The award, named after the University’s first director of women’s intercollegiate athletics, is awarded annually to a former women’s athlete commemorating community involvement, career development and support of University ideals.
