The Oregon women’s basketball body count was piling up during Tuesday’s practice at McArthur Court.
Sophomore Tatianna Thomas? Sidelined with a concussion suffered in Friday’s win against Wyoming. Sophomore Ellie Manou? Resting a tweaked knee, which will not keep her out of game action. Junior Taylor Lilley? Going on week-to-week with a shin injury that has prevented her from participating in a regular-season game with the Ducks. Junior Micaela Cocks? Clad in a New Zealand national team jersey and playing like her defensive assignment was Becky Hammon of the WNBA – and fighting through plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the foot).
Something else was conspicuously missing from Tuesday’s practice: the team’s practice jerseys, which head coach Bev Smith kept from the team as punishment for poor performance.
“You have to do what it takes, on and off the floor,” Smith said.
Through five games, the Ducks (3-2) have been out-scored by an average of 5.4 points per game and committed 4.2 more turnovers per game. As a team, Oregon is shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from the three-point line.
“We’re just struggling with execution and timing,” Smith said of the Ducks’ offensive struggles. “We’re still really a work in progress, trying to get younger players caught up with the system.”
Injuries are partially responsible for the Ducks’ offensive production, as Lilley, last year’s leading scorer, and redshirt senior Rita Kollo, a projected starter who is still nursing a broken right foot, have yet to see floor time. Eight players have started games thus far, not including sophomore Nicole Canepa, who started 20 games last season but suffered an ankle injury earlier this year.
The Ducks’ opponent, the Montana Lady Grizzlies (3-2), made the NCAA tournament last year, losing in the first round to Vanderbilt. Lady Grizzlies head coach Robin Selvig is in his 31st season coaching his Alma mater, having reached his 700th career win with a 59-57 overtime victory over Illinois on Nov. 26. The backcourt tandem of senior Mandy Morales, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer at 15.5 points per game, and senior Sonya Rogers, who led the NCAA last season with 48.6 percent of three-pointers made.
Thomas, Lilley and Kollo have been ruled out against Montana tonight, and Cocks and Manou are expected to play.
If the Ducks want their practice jerseys back, they have something to show Smith.
“Flat-out effort, flat-out intensity, just getting down in the trenches defensively,” Smith said. “We found some defensive focus against Wyoming. We’ll try to continue that when we play Montana.”
ROBERT HUSSEMAN
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