First-year head coach Paul Westhead promised an up-tempo, full-court, fast-breaking offense matched with an intense pressure defense, a combination intended to intrigue both players and fans and revitalize the Oregon program.
The Ducks averaged 109 points in two exhibition games and took off from there, going 9-3 in their out-of-conference games. The preseason included the second-highest scoring game in Oregon history (a 117-69 win over Cal State Fullerton), as well as a last-second loss to Wisconsin, spurred by a controversial late call that awarded the Badgers the final possession.
The Ducks started out conference play 3-0 but quickly cooled, swept by Arizona State and Arizona on a road trip that saw Oregon lose the highest-scoring women’s Pacific-10 Conference game in history (119-112 to the Wildcats). The Ducks would lose the next three games before upsetting USC in Los Angeles to end the first half of Pac-10 play at 4-5 in conference, making the postseason a real possibility.
Oregon parlayed the USC victory into a four-game winning streak, but a rough sweep in the Bay Area by Stanford and Cal led to a six-game losing streak to close out conference play. The Ducks received the sixth seed for the conference tournament, but fell to USC in the first round.
The season would live on, however, as the Ducks received an at-large bid for the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. Oregon beat Eastern Washington and New Mexico at McArthur Court in the first two rounds, setting up yet another matchup with Cal. The Golden Bears defeated the Ducks 71-57 for the third time this season at McArthur Court, ending Oregon’s banner year.
Senior guard Taylor Lilley made 124 three-pointers over the course of the season, the third-highest total in Oregon history, while setting a career record for three-pointers with 270. Senior guard Micaela Cocks played in her 125th game for the Ducks against Cal, also a school record.
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