Another game, another lackluster start, another scoring flurry to pull away for the victory.
The Oregon women’s basketball team was held to 12 points over the first 12 minutes by Santa Clara, but guard Micaela Cocks and forward Nicole Canepa powered the Ducks to a halftime lead. An explosive second-half start carried Oregon (3-0) to an 88-71 victory over the Broncos (1-3), the Ducks’ third consecutive 80-point game.
Oregon has not enjoyed such a successful stretch offensively since the 2001-02 season, when the Ducks put together four consecutive 80-point games between
Feb. 16 and March 1.
“(This game) showed that we have a long way to go,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “If we can win and see all the gaps that have not been plugged up yet, I think that’s a great place to be this early in the season. Our players, I think, are determined to come along and try and fill up these gaps.”
Santa Clara broke the Ducks’ full-court press defense and entered the paint with ease, and early shooting woes dug Oregon into a deep hole. Broncos guard Meagan Fulps hit a layup with 8:01 remaining to bring the score to 20-12, Santa Clara’s largest lead of
the game.
“We took a while to get in our flow tonight,” Johnson said. “They stayed with us, up until a point.”
Westhead called for a 3-2 zone defense after two free throws from Canepa, and momentum swung almost immediately. The Broncos missed six of their next seven shots — all from outside the painted area — and scored just four points as Oregon made its move.
“This is the second game where it’s bailed us out when we’ve been stuck,” Westhead said of the zone defense. “We’re going to live and die by scoring points, but our
defense generates our offense.”
Cocks’ three-pointer with 4:30 remaining gave the Ducks their first lead of the game, 23-22. She would finish the first half with 12 points, scoring 18 overall.
Oregon forced Santa Clara into 12 team fouls, with 13 free throw attempts, but was unable to fully shake the Broncos as the first half wound down. Another layup by Fulps brought the halftime margin to 35-31; the Broncos had shot 40.6 percent for the half (13-32) to the Ducks’ 30.6 percent (11-36). Oregon also made just two of 14 attempted three-point shots.
No matter, as forward Victoria Kenyon took advantage of an Amanda Johnson offensive rebound with a three-pointer to increase the margin to seven. Johnson and Taylor Lilley followed suit on Oregon’s next two possessions with three-pointers, and the Ducks were off to the races. Cocks’ layup with 11:03 remaining would cap a 28-9 run in the second half’s
opening nine minutes.
“Our press finally kicked in,” Westhead said. “We forced turnovers and steals. We had to go and re-earn the pace.”
The Broncos would come within 13 points after guard
Tatianna Thomas fouled Fulps with 1:23 to play on a three-point attempt. (Fulps made all three free throws to make it 81-68.) Santa Clara, however, was hamstrung by foul trouble, as starting forward Lena Gipson — the Broncos’ leading scorer from last season — and
center Kathy Willinsky fouled out.
Johnson finished with her second consecutive double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Canepa came off the bench to score 19 points and grab
seven rebounds.
“It’s incredible what Nicole Canepa does coming off the bench,” Westhead said. “She just gets us inside scoring relieves a lot of pressure, especially when we’re not shooting well from
the outside.”
Forward Jasmin Holliday had six points and nine rebounds in her first home game back since taking a leave of absence after the death of her mother. She also had two
assists, two blocks and three steals.
“I was so happy to be at home this time and be able to play in front of the fans,” Holliday said. “It was a lot of fun to be out there. I felt good when everyone started
clapping for me when I came in.”
Oregon made seven of its 15 three-pointers in the second half, finishing nine for 29 from beyond the arc. The Ducks were buoyed by their performance at the free-throw line, shooting
80.8 percent (21-26).
Fulps scored 16 points for the Broncos, and Alyssa Shoji and Ashley Armstrong chipped in 14 points each for Santa Clara.
[email protected]