LOS ANGELES â?” Carolyn Ganes made contributions early and late in Oregon’s 82-63 loss to UCLA on the road Tuesday night. It was during the in-between portion that the Ducks tripped up and failed to stop UCLA’s high-power offense.
The Bruins attacked early and often, taking a 7-2 lead after the whistle. Left open early, Ganes made a mid-range jumper to bring Oregon within 13-10. Remaining within 11 for most of the first half, Oregon trailed by six at halftime, 37-31.
UCLA implemented its press in the second half, and Olivier used a large helping of post play from 5-foot-11 Lisa Willis, 6-foot-4 Lindsey Pluimer and 6-foot-4 Chinyere Ibekwe. All three scored baskets in UCLA’s game-deciding 11-2 run to give UCLA a 58-47 lead with 11:20 left.
Ganes entered late in the second half and accounted for Oregon’s six points in a span of more than seven minutes. She hit a jump shot to give the Ducks a one-point lead with 15:21 left. But UCLA extended its lead from 11 points to 21 points with only about 2 minutes remaining.
Despite the loss, Oregon’s main message after the loss is simple, Ganes said.
”We can play with these teams,” she said.
Ganes led Oregon against UCLA with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting and collected six rebounds.
The reigning Pacific-10 Player of the Week, Ganes notched a career high 26 points in Oregon’s last game against Idaho State and hit the game winning shot two days earlier against St. Mary’s.
For the Bruins, Willis scored nine points, Pluimer 12 and Ibekwe 12.
Offense versus defense
UCLA’s offense, good for 82 points a game, came into the Pac-10 opener against a stingy Oregon defense. Prior to Tuesday night, Oregon averaged 48.7 points allowed per game.
Coming off an upset loss to UC-Santa Barbara, UCLA coach Kathy Olivier looked for her team to push the pace.
”We felt if we got the tempo going, it would be a very good game for us,” she said.
Lineup changes
Oregon guard Cicely Oaks made her first appearance in the starting lineup because Oregon coach Bev Smith wanted to take advantage of her quickness and defensive match ups, Smith said. Oaks had 10 points and five rebounds. She attacked the basket and stretched UCLA’s defense, areas Smith highlighted afterward.
”Our team is based on that (versatility),” Smith said. “We don’t have a set starting lineup and can change every game.”
Point guard Tamika Nurse entered around the midway point of each half. At times, Smith played her alongside starter Kaela Chapdelaine. Nurse used her quickness to get to the basket and create open shots for Gabrielle Richards and Chapdelaine.
Nurse posted 2 points, four assists and a single turnover in her Pac-10 debut.
Shots from deep
Senior guard Chelsea Wagner played six days after she suffered a concussion in Oregon’s win against Idaho State. She swished a three-pointer in a 5-0 first half closing run and then hit two more to start the second half.
