The Oregon women’s basketball team won its seventh straight game Thursday night in Seattle — but at a hefty price.
Just five minutes into the contest, Oregon’s Angelina Wolvert left the game with a second-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in her left knee. Wolvert returned to Eugene to begin treatment immediately, which will force her to miss Saturday’s game at Washington State — if not more.
And then, to top it all off, senior scrapper Lindsey Dion went down with an ankle sprain at the 3:30 mark of the second half. Her status is unknown for Saturday’s game.
Whatever the cost, in the end, it added up to a 67-53 victory for No. 18 Oregon (11-3, 4-0), which is in sole possession of first place after Arizona lost to Southern California Thursday.
“We’re wounded,” Oregon head coach Jody Runge told KNRQ. “Obviously it’s a tough loss with Ange going down.”
The Ducks have won 10 straight against the Huskies, and hold a 30-28 all-time series lead.
Senior forward Brianne Meharry started the second half in place of Wolvert, and even with three fouls, she proved to be just what the Ducks needed.
The 6-foot-2 Meharry scored Oregon’s first seven points of the second period, igniting the Ducks to a 10-4 run, before picking up her fourth foul with 15:28 remaining. After sitting for more than 10 minutes, Meharry returned to score on a spin move in the post to break a 53-53 tie and start another Oregon run. This time, the Ducks went on a 14-0 spurt to finish the game, holding the Huskies scoreless for the final five minutes.
Prior to Oregon’s final run, the game had been tied nine times, with Washington holding a five-point lead midway through the second.”I was just very pleased that we were able to get our composure and poise back,” said Runge, who improved to 13-2 against Washington in her eight years at Oregon. “We did a good job of settling down and executing the things we try to do every day.”
The wholehearted rivalry between the Ducks and the Huskies has never looked so gory. In addition to Wolvert and Dion’s injuries, senior post Jenny Mowe left the game on several occasions with blows to the face, and Washington freshman Giuliana Mendiola had to step off the court late in the game. Additionally, a total of 36 fouls were committed (16 by Oregon, 20 by Washington).
Junior Jamie Craighead, the Pac-10 Player of the Week last week, was looking to retain her crown with another spectacular performance on her homecoming. The Elma, Wash., native tallied a career-high 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting (3 for 6 from three-point range).
Entering Thursday’s game, center Jenny Mowe averaged just 20.9 minutes per game, but with Wolvert out and Meharry in foul trouble, Mowe was the key for Oregon. She played 35 minutes against the Huskies, tabbing a double-double — 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Ducks, the worst rebounding team in the league prior to the game, out-boarded the league’s best rebounding team 44-38.
Win streak continues, but UO loses key players in Seattle
Daily Emerald
January 18, 2001
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