If Sunday’s exhibition game was an episode of “Wild Discovery”, Oregon post players would have been the hunters while an undersized Western Oregon team acted as their prey.
Carolyn Ganes, Cathrine Kraayeveld and Andrea Bills dominated the paint against a Wolves squad whose tallest player — Eugene native Kristi Hill-Rudolph– stood 6 feet 1 inch tall.
The trio combined for 56 points in Sunday’s 87-29 win against Western Oregon.
Oregon shot 57 percent for the game, with most of its shots coming from within 10 feet. Even when the Ducks couldn’t get a decent inside look, there was always someone open on the perimeter after Western Oregon was forced to double-down defensively.
Oregon head coach Bev Smith said the Ducks looked to utilize their size advantage entering the game, but failed to do so early in the contest.
“I thought that our post players, certainly in the first 10 minutes, were not being as aggressive and burying people as they needed to,” Smith said. “Then I thought (Bills) came in after her second shift and really dominated and (Western Oregon) had to make some adjustments.”
After building a 14-3 lead with 12 minutes 16 seconds remaining in the first half, Bills took Smith’s words to heart, scoring Oregon’s next 10 points. Bills finished with 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting.
Bills said the Ducks were enjoying themselves on the court, while outscoring the Wolves 42-6 in the paint.
“It was a lot of fun,” Bills said. “The coaches just emphasized us going inside and posting up hard. The guards were finding us and if (the ball) came in, we were able to pass it back out for the open shot.”
After a relatively quiet first half, Ganes finished with fury, scoring 16 of her 22 points in the second half, while connecting on 11 of 14 shots for the game. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
Ganes also credited Oregon’s back court for feeding post players both down low and on the move.
“Even in transition, (the guards) were able to hit us on the run,” Ganes said. “We were just playing really well inside and outside.”
Kraayeveld scored the game’s first two points on a layup, giving the Ducks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. She finished with 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting and was also able to take her game outside, connecting on 3 of 4 from three-point range.
Kraayeveld said front-court players did a good job of scoring inside without forcing their shots.
“We’ve got to notice (smaller opponents) and take advantage of that when we can,” Kraayeveld said. “Not forcing anything, but if we are open, take our shots. All the posts did a good job.”
Oregon front-court players were also a major reason that Western Oregon shot 21 percent for the game, including 2 of 22 in the second half. Defensively, the Ducks challenged every shot, blocking six of them.
Even when the Ducks couldn’t get a hand on a shot, their constant pressure made a difference. Several Western Oregon players missed open layups, altering their shots in fear of having them blocked.
Despite the blowout win, Smith said the Ducks are an experienced group and will not take false ideas from the game. She added that players realize points in the paint won’t come so easily against larger opponents.
“Our players have been around the block a little bit,” Smith said. “They understand who they played today and they understand that certainly next week it’s going to be a lot different.”