Even an hour after the game ended, the Oregon seniors couldn’t get out of the spotlight.
They already received their flowers, hugs and standing ovations during their final appearance at McArthur Court, but the fans — the people who have supported this team through it all in the last four years — just couldn’t say goodbye.
The 1,000 or so of the 8,815 fans (the third largest crowd ever for a women’s game) who remained after the 72-60 Civil War victory applauded, laughed and cheered as the five seniors — Angelina Wolvert, Jenny Mowe, Lindsey Dion, Brianne Meharry and Camber Ellingson — conducted post-game radio interviews, which were broadcast over the loud speakers at The Pit.
The winningest class in school history, with an 82-35 mark, the seniors boosted the Ducks (17-11 overall, 10-8 Pacific-10 Conference) to their eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance with Saturday’s win over Oregon State, the team’s 10th-straight against the Beavers.
The four regular seniors scored in double figures, while Ellingson played the final minute with a little crowd encouragement (“We want Camber!”), scoring one point and dishing out one assist.
“We just went out and had a lot of fun,” said Dion, who scored 13 points. “We really had a ball playing with each other.”
As relentless as she’s been during her four years wearing an Oregon uniform, it was only fitting that Dion went out with some bruises in her final home game. The senior forward, who has been playing with a sprained left ankle for much of the season, suffered a cut above her right eye after a collision with an Oregon State player, leaving a gash that required at least five stitches.

“It’s pretty appropriate,” Dion said with a large Band-Aid over her eyebrow. “I had an injury the same way my freshman year.”
The team’s leading scorer, Wolvert, again paced the Ducks. She finished the game with her fourth double-double in the last seven games, this time with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She also had a career-high six assists and three blocks.Wolvert also seems to make a habit of hitting some final minute three-pointers. For the third time in two weeks, the forward hit her only three-point attempt during garbage time, as the Ducks were just trying to run down the clock.
“I just want to play more,” Wolvert said. “But when the season’s over, I’ll be ready to hang my jersey up.”
Mowe, who needed a security escort after the game to sift through a crowd of young autograph seekers, had 12 points and four rebounds in her school-record 123rd game. Meharry added 10 points and five boards.
Amid recent controversy about her coaching techniques, head coach Jody Runge said after the game she was proud of the way the seniors handled the emotional night.
“This was probably the most memorable senior day we’ve ever had because of the great amount of appreciation the community has for these seniors,” said Runge, who became just the third coach in Pac-10 history to amass 100 conference wins.
“I think they’re all special — because of the sheer number of them and what collectively they’ve meant to this program and the emergence on the national scene and making the commitment to come here and play,” Runge said. “This is not an easy place to play. This group has worked as hard as anybody to help us be successful.”