The Oregon Ducks entered Saturday’s contest against Arizona shooting 37.3 percent from the field. That mark is ninth in the Pacific-10 Conference and a major indicator of season-long inefficiencies in play.
Oregon continued its difficulties by shooting 26.9 percent from the field in an 88-65 loss to the Wildcats.
“Shooting’s been an issue. Scoring’s been an issue,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “If you shoot better than 27 percent, you can be in any game.”
At ninth place in the Pac-10, Oregon (13-16, 4-14) has earned a return date with the fourth-place Wildcats (19-10, 10-8) on Wednesday, in the first round of Pac-10 tournament play. The game will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“I thought we had a good game plan coming in,” Westhead said.
A good game plan marred by poor shooting.
Oregon started out the game by missing its first seven shots but keeping Arizona within range. When Ariel Thomas finally got the Ducks going, hitting a jump shot with 15:41 remaining in the first half, Oregon trailed 7-5.
Thomas played one of her more aggressive games as a Duck, driving to the basket seemingly at will against the Wildcats. However, her best efforts fell short of made baskets. Thomas finished with a team-high 12 points on 4-of-20 shooting, with five rebounds, five assists, five steals and four turnovers.
“I wanted to win this game,” the freshman from Sacramento, Calif., said. “I wanted the seniors to go out with a win.”
Tatianna Thomas tied the game at nine apiece with a layup at the 13:49 mark, but Arizona followed with an 8-0 run. The Wildcats went to the locker room ahead, 41-32, and came out with a flourish, leading by 15 after five minutes in the second half.
Oregon cobbled together five straight points to set the deficit back to 10, 50-40, before Arizona forward Ify Ibekwe hit the dagger shot — a banked-in three-pointer from the top of the key, as the shot clock expired.
It was Arizona 53, Oregon 50 with 13:17 remaining, and the Ducks would get no closer.
Westhead deemed the shot “a little symptomatic of some of our frustrations.”
“We cautioned our team that she could hurt us inside and out. We weren’t surprised that she would shoot the on-top jumper,” he said. “She’s a great rebounder, and she shot the ball from distance. Lot of credit to her.”
Ibekwe finished with 31 points (5-of-7 three-point shooting, a career high), 15 rebounds, three assists and three steals, but Oregon did force her into committing eight turnovers.
“She has improved so much since freshman year. She has such an all-around game,” said Ducks center Ellyce Ironmonger, who had six rebounds in nine minutes on her senior night.
“I didn’t know she could shoot that well. As a player it’s good to see her develop. She’s worked hard.”
Wildcats forward Soana Lucet had 22 points and helped establish a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint. Arizona guard Brooke Jackson scored 16 points, while guard Davellyn White had seven points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
The six Oregon seniors celebrating their final game — Tatianna Thomas, Candyce Flynn, Kristi Fallin, Nicole Canepa, Victoria Kenyon and Ironmonger — combined for 30 points and 16 rebounds for the Ducks.
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