When asked about Oregon’s 100-80 defeat against No. 2 Stanford, head coach Paul Westhead likes to say it was a twenty-point loss, but not a twenty-point game.
Though at first glance that may seem redundant, anyone who watched the game would readily agree with Westhead. The Ducks came out with a purpose and were within five points of the Cardinal with just over eight minutes left in the second half.
From there, things began to unravel as the Ducks simply ran out of gas, and a close game turned into a deceiving blowout. Now Oregon (16-8, 7-5) is ready to finish the job against Stanford (23-1, 13-0) tonight at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif.
“We’re in a more confident mode,” Westhead said. “Our players are going to go down, and their approach will be, ‘We’ve come to beat you, not to play you.’”
The players agree wholeheartedly and are hungry for a second shot at the Cardinal.
“We have the potential to beat this team,” senior guard Taylor Lilley said. “So that alone really gives us motivation to go out there and give it everything we have.”
What gives the Ducks such confidence is that Stanford showed a noticeable weakness going up against the quicker, faster-paced Oregon style. The Cardinal had no answer for redshirt sophomore guard Nia Jackson, who blew by defenders at will and finished with a career-high 26 points.
“It’s really pretty easy to penetrate against them,” Jackson said. “I think that’s what our strength was last game. We were able to get to the key and do a lot of things.”
Lilley also had success with 16 points and saw the frustration on the Cardinal’s face early on.
“They don’t like to run, they don’t like to be pressed, they don’t like the pressure,” Lilley said. “So, I think everything that we have as a team … really goes against what they want to play against.”
The challenge, of course, will be maintaining a high level of play for all 40 minutes of the game, which Oregon was unable to do so in its first meeting with Stanford.
“We just have to stay in it for 40 minutes mentally,” Jackson said.
Endurance, however, is only part of the equation. There is a reason Stanford is No. 2 in the nation and undefeated in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Cardinal are loaded with
talent from top to bottom, and it was on full display last month at McArthur Court.
Sophomore forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike was particularly dominant against the Ducks, racking up 30 points and 23 rebounds. Junior forward Kayla Pedersen added 11 rebounds of her own, and as a team Stanford finished with a 48-36 advantage on the boards.
“They’re a very good team, and they can beat you in many ways,” Westhead said. “But you try your best not to let them beat you with second shots.”
As such, even the smaller guards on the team will be focusing on rebounds
against Stanford.
“The guards, the bigs, we all have to go in for the rebounds and get after the loose balls,” Lilley said. “That’s what we need to do to win.”
Senior center Jayne Appel was held to 17 points in just 19 minutes during her last matchup with Oregon. She found herself in foul trouble early, and the Ducks can only hope she is held in check once again.
As talented as Stanford is, the Ducks show no signs of fear. Coming off of four straight wins, they know exactly what they do best and how to use their strengths against the Cardinal.
Now, all that remains is to take the floor and execute.
“We’re very confident,” Jackson said. “We know our roles, we know what we can do out there … and we know how they’re going to play us, so with all those factors, I think it’s going to be a great game.”
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