Finally, the shot went in.
Amanda Johnson hustled for the rebound, turned around and banked in an eight-footer for the first Oregon field goal of the game. The crowd of 3,072 at Matthew Knight Arena erupted.
That field goal came with 10:18 in the first half. Stanford’s lead was cut to 19-3.
The Ducks (12-7, 3-5 Pacific-10 Conference) put together one of the worst collective performances in head coach Paul Westhead’s tenure in the eventual 91-56 loss to No. 5 Stanford (17-2, 8-0).
“I felt our team played better than the stats will show,” Westhead said. “We were aggressive enough to give ourselves a chance.”
Former Oregon shooting guard Taylor Lilley, the program’s all-time best sharpshooter, wore casual clothes and conspicuous yellow heels as she sat courtside. The Ducks could have used her shooting touch.
Oregon shot 25.0 percent from the field and 3 of 32 from the three-point line, a dramatic affront to a squad that prides itself on making the open jumpers as much as taking them.
Former USC forward Lisa Leslie was also courtside, offering color commentary for Fox Sports Net. Oregon could have used her inside presence and rebounding.
The Cardinal thoroughly dominated the Ducks on the boards (68 to 32), grabbing 25 offensive rebounds. Stanford scored 52 points in the painted area to Oregon’s 22.
“We needed to go inside and take it at them more,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said of her team’s game plan.
There was the rub: Early on, despite a nine-minute opening field goal drought (0 for 15), the Cardinal allowed the Ducks plenty of chances. Their shooting percentage hovered in the low thirties as Oregon collapsed its zone defense around any post player with the ball.
“They did a good job crowding us in the paint,” said Stanford forward Chiney Ogwumike, who finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. “I didn’t get a good feel for the game. I missed a lot of bunnies (easy shots).”
Those short shots eventually started to go in, but Nia Jackson kept the Ducks in the game. As she has for much of the Pac-10 season, the redshirt junior point guard put Oregon on her back, scoring 14 of her game-high 21 points in the first half to cut the deficit to 41-25 at intermission. Jackson was at her best in a two-minute stretch late in the first half, converting two layups in traffic and a jumper and foul shot.
“Just seen some openings,” she said. “Their coach didn’t want me fouled, so they gave me a little bit of a lane.”
Inside lanes were denied with earnest in the second half, as the Cardinal clamped down on the painted area and forced the Ducks to miss more outside shots. Stanford came out of the locker room to the tune of a 16-2 run over 5:02.
“Some players came out of the half with very little left in the tank,” Westhead said.
The Cardinal had energy to go withits size and strength advantage, and its shooting touch followed. Stanford shot 47.2 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 43.6 percent for the game. Oregon’s movement on offense was smothered; the Ducks had no fast break points and only four assists on the night.
Kayla Pedersen gave Stanford a second double-double performance on the night with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Jeanette Pohlen scored 17 points, and forwards Sarah Boothe and Nnemkadi Ogwumike had matching 16-point, eight-rebound statlines.
Amanda Johnson was the only Duck to make a three-point field goal (3-of-8) and the only other Duck in double figures, with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
One small consolation for the home team: Oregon turned the ball over just 11 times to the Cardinal’s 18 — a chink in the armor of a Pac-10 giant.
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