Oregon’s women’s basketball team dominated visiting California and won the Ducks’ Pacific-10 Conference home opener 70-41 Thursday night.
Oregon’s win came a week after the Ducks dropped two games in Los Angeles to UCLA and USC. This Oregon team (10-3, 1-2 Pacific-10 Conference), entering off a non-conference win against Colorado, pounded Cal (11-4, 3-2) inside, and when that didn’t work, passed to the perimeter for 10 three-pointers.
The win, with Stanford’s visit two days away, answered questions Oregon faced after its Los Angeles struggles.
Gabrielle Richards scored 12 points inside. When Richards didn’t have a shot, she passed to Cicely Oaks (13 points, three three-pointers) and Chelsea Wagner (17 points, five three-pointers).
When Cal focused on Oaks and Wagner, the pair created lay ups with drives inside. Oaks had two assists and Wagner four. Oregon made 21 assists on 25 field goals.
Heavily relying on the three-pointer against UCLA with 24 attempts, Oregon coach Bev Smith said she didn’t mind the 21 three point attempts Thursday, with shots coming in rhythm and off post passes, not settling for long-distance attempts.
If an opponent focuses on shutting Oregon down inside or outside, the Ducks are happy scoring inside or on the perimeter, Smith said.
“It becomes a pick-your-poison,” she said.
“It doesn’t really matter what you’re going to do with us. – We are going to do the opposite,” Wagner said.
UCLA and USC’s press bothered Oregon, and Cal reverted to the defense in the second half. Oregon moved a second guard into the backcourt. Instead of a guard and a post, the new combination contributed to only 13 Oregon turnovers. All last week, Oregon practiced facing a six-player press.
Differences between Oregon’s seasoned starting lineup and Cal’s – with four freshman – showed early. Cal tied Oregon 8-8 momentarily, but Oregon then created a 23-11 advantage with a 15-3 run. Cal, which swept UCLA and USC at home, found little offensive success before the crowd of 3,286 at McArthur Court.
Devanei Hampton and Ashley Walker provided the bulk of Cal’s scoring with Oregon’s post players Richards and Jessie Shetters making scoring inside difficult.
“We just didn’t come out ready tonight,” Hampton said. “We came out lackadaisical.”
Six-foot-6 Shetters collected a career high five blocks. Richards’ physical defense helped force Hampton into 5-for-19 shooting and 15 points. Walker finished 4 for 10 with 13 points.
“We are a young team,” Hampton said. “We are just going to have to learn from it.”
Shetters’ improved defensive play – eight rebounds and had two steals in 22 minutes at USC — is helping Oregon’s already stingy defense, Smith said.
“Her height and her quickness surprises people,” Smith said.
Oregon’s focus shifts to Stanford and guard Candice Wiggins. Stanford’s lone conference defeat last season came at Mac Court.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Oaks said. “They are a very good basketball team.”

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