On an otherwise somber Saturday, the Oregon women’s basketball team showed a flair for the dramatic.
The only problem is that No. 24 Arizona had the same affliction.
Shawntinice Polk tied an Arizona single-season record with her 15th double-double as the Wildcats edged Oregon, 71-66, in front of 4,126 at McArthur Court.
Polk dominated the Ducks for 23 points and 15 rebounds, helping push the Wildcats to their first-ever season sweep of Oregon. The teams began playing in 1981.
“It’s a good win,” Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini said. “It’s a good way to go back to Tucson.”
While much of the talk after the game centered on the play of Polk, there was the feeling that Oregon (8-12 overall, 4-7 Pacific-10 Conference) was a much different team than the one that lost by 29 to Arizona on Jan. 2.
After all, the Ducks were outrebounded by just eight Saturday, compared to a 23-board difference in January.
“Oregon is a much better team than a month ago,” Bonvicini said. “Their freshmen have improved.”
“We’ve come a long way,” Oregon freshman Carolyn Ganes said. “The first time we played them, we were going through hard stuff as a team.”
While Polk provided much of Arizona’s offense, the Ducks were able to neutralize the Wildcat shooters. Arizona connected on just 8-of-23 three-pointers and shot 42 percent from the field.
“We’re understanding the importance of our defensive intensity,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said.
Had the Ducks come out strong from the start, the desired result would have fell into Oregon’s lap as opposed to benefiting the Wildcats.
Arizona (14-6, 7-4) began the first half on a 7-0 run, and led 11-2 at the 17:57 mark.
After sophomore Brandi Davis knocked down a jumper at the start of the second, the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run in the next three minutes before Ganes answered with a layup.
“The first four minutes were a little bit unsettling because we didn’t have the same aggressiveness and mentality as Thursday,” Smith said in reference to Oregon’s 68-52 victory over Arizona State.
The Ducks held close to the Wildcats for much of the second half, posting a tie at 63 with four minutes left.
But four consecutive points by Polk pushed Arizona to a four-point lead with less than a minute left.
Ganes then answered back with a tip-in and free throw make after a foul by Arizona’s Krista Warren, pulling the Ducks within one.
With the Ducks trailing and the clock winding down quickly, senior guard Alissa Edwards purposely fouled Arizona guard Dee-Dee Wheeler. Wheeler knocked down both of her free throws, setting up a potential game-tying three-pointer for the Ducks.
At least that’s what they wanted.
“We thought we were going to go for the three,” Smith said. “They played it very well. We didn’t get the shot we wanted.”
With less than 20 seconds left on the clock, Davis pulled up for a jumper just in front of the three-point line, and hit the rim with the shot. The ball fell into the hands of Warren, and from that point on, all Oregon could do was foul.
Arizona’s Natalie Jones sank both her free throws to ice the game for the Wildcats.
“I was trying to get to the basket and get fouled,” Davis said. “It really wasn’t the shot I wanted. It’s a lesson learned. I’m still young.”
Davis led the Ducks with 21 points, while Ganes — battling Polk all day down low — pitched in with 15, and added seven rebounds.
Overall, Oregon shot 41 percent from the field and connected on just 5-of-17 from beyond the arc.
“It’s a good lesson for us and we’ll see them in the Pac-10 Tournament,” Davis said.
Both teams observed a moment of silence before the game in remembrance of the seven astronauts who lost their lives in the accident on the space shuttle Columbia early Saturday.
Oregon next plays Stanford on Thursday, then crosses the Bay Area for a contest against California on Saturday.
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