And the winner is … Oregon State.
By virtue of their 62-50 win over Hawaii on Thursday, the Beavers now travel to Eugene on Sunday as the Ducks host the second round game of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament at McArthur Court at 1 p.m.
The game marks the third time this season the Ducks (18-13 overall) and Beavers will meet up, the first time that has happened since the 1988-89 season. And what a season matchup this year’s has been.
Coming into Mac Court in January, the Beavers (17-14) were able to overtake the Ducks for their first win at the fabled gym since 1993. It also marked Oregon State’s first win over the team’s in-state rival since 1996.
Less than a month later, Oregon returned the favor, this time in Corvallis. Oregon senior Edniesha Curry hit a last-second runner in the paint to seal a one-point Oregon win in overtime.
While the Ducks were just happy to get into the second round after their tough game against St. Mary’s (Calif.) on Wednesday, most said they would have been fine playing either the Beavers or Hawaii.
However, the Oregon rivalry will heat up once again.
“It would be nice to see them lose, but if they do win, it will be a battle,” Oregon sophomore Cathrine Kraayeveld said after Oregon’s 11-point win over the Gaels.
Unlike the Gaels, whom the Ducks knew little about, the Beavers are a well-known commodity in Eugene. Oregon State features a well-balanced attack, and may be the one team from the Pacific-10 Conference that can match up well with Oregon’s backcourt.
Led by senior guard Felicia Ragland, the Beavers may also be one of the more physical teams in the conference. That play was never more apparent than when the Ducks and Beavers met this season.
Oregon junior Shaquala Williams, who played only eight minutes Wednesday due to illness, is expected back against the Beavers. Her play will be important against Oregon State as she is Oregon’s main weapon in matching Ragland’s offensive ability.
However, the Ducks have made no distinction leading up to their game against the Beavers.
Had the Wahines won instead of Oregon State, that would have been just fine.
“We just got to look at the teams the same way and play hard,” Kraayeveld said. “We’ve just got to take care of each team one game at a time.”
E-mail sports reporter Hank Hager
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