Thursday’s word of the day, thanks to Oregon assistant coach Kai Felton, was “synergy.”
The Ducks coaching staff has left every women’s basketball player a picture or a word at their lockers to promote a key to the game. Against the Arizona Wildcats, the one-word message centered on a team effort.
Oregon delivered on that message with six players in double figures in a 92-74 win over the Wildcats. The Ducks (15-8, 6-5 Pacific-10 Conference) did not match the pace of their last game with UA — a 119-112 defeat, the most points in a game in Pac-10 history — but the defensive and offensive unity was markedly improved.
“We had good synergy. We were helping each other,” head coach Paul Westhead said.
Oregon tried to dictate the pace of the game against Arizona, but the Ducks could not separate themselves from the Wildcats. Arizona forward Ify Ibekwe, who torched Oregon for 32 points and 14 rebounds in Tucson, was limited to seven first-half minutes due to foul trouble, but the Ducks had initial trouble capitalizing on her absence.
Cue the hot hand of Victoria Kenyon, who scored eight of the Ducks’ 10 points in a 75-second span to put Oregon ahead, 34-31, with 5:50 remaining. Arizona struggled as the Ducks gained momentum, going scoreless over 3:20 as the first half ended to find itself behind 44-38 at the break.
In the second half, Oregon picked the pace back up at the expense of the undermanned Wildcats, who used all eight of their available players.
“Arizona tried to conserve energy a little bit. Our pace kind of got to them,” Westhead said. “The irony is, the pace at Arizona hurt us.”
Forward Nicole Canepa caught fire in the second half and helped ice the game against the Wildcats. Canepa did not score in the first half, but scored eight points within a 12-2 run that put the Ducks ahead 62-47 with 12:54 remaining.
“Sometimes I’m not really feeling it right away. I try and take my time inside,” Canepa said. “The first score I had in the game probably helped.”
Amanda Johnson followed Canepa up with seven consecutive points, and the Ducks ran away from the Wildcats for their third consecutive victory.
Guard Nia Jackson, who passed a concussion test prior to the game to ensure her availability, led the Ducks with 18 points supplemented by six rebounds, four assists and five steals. Jackson’s aggressiveness on offense led to nine free throw attempts, with six conversions.
“It felt great to be playing,” Jackson said. “I was a little winded during this game, but it was a lot of fun. It was exciting and we came out really strong. I was pleased with what we did today.”
“She just makes things happen, folks,” Westhead said.
Canepa finished with 15 points, as did Taylor Lilley, who added nine assists, five rebounds, three steals and no turnovers. Johnson (13 points, 14 rebounds, three steals), Kenyon (13 points) and Jasmin Holliday (11 points, nine rebounds) also finished in double figures for the Ducks.
Arizona forward Soana Lucet led all scorers with 23 points. Ibekwe played only 21 minutes due to foul trouble but finished with 9 points, 12 rebounds and two steals.
Oregon shot 46.1 percent from the field to Arizona’s 37.3 percent and grabbed 51 rebounds to the Wildcats’ 40.
“I can’t remember the last time we won the battle of the boards,” Westhead said.
For the record, the last team the Ducks outrebounded was Arizona, in their January 16 loss. This time around, the distinction came in a victory that was simply synergetic.
Oregon vs. Arizona State
Thursday’s win leaves the Ducks with a golden opportunity to avenge an early-season sweep of the Arizona schools as Arizona State comes to McArthur Court on Saturday.
The Sun Devils come to Eugene having won three of their past five games despite inconsistent performances. After beating Cal on January 30, ASU beat Washington before falling to Washington State, 66-62, last Saturday, the first conference win for the Cougars this season. Arizona State defeated Oregon State 62-49 yesterday to boost its record to 15-8 overall (7-5 Pac-10).
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