Take a look at the Pacific-10 Conference standings and you will find a situation that many Oregon fans are not used to seeing.
The Duck women are tied for eighth place with USC. Both teams have a 2-5 conference record. Oregon is 1-4 in its last five games and has gone just 1-3 against teams ranked in the top 25
this season.
Then take a look at the Pac-10 statistical categories and you will find one glaring reason for the drop in the standings.
Scoring defense. The Ducks are allowing 78.4 points per game in Pac-10 play. And although Oregon State failed to score more than 70 points against the Ducks, it was apparent the Oregon defense was outmatched.
“In the second half — and I still think we’re playing harder than a month ago — but I think we relaxed a little bit with pressure on their perimeter,” head coach Bev Smith said. “As a result, they moved the ball around the perimeter, were very patient, and our post players cannot battle two excellent post players when they have time to pass the ball and look in.”
Oregon has averaged 67 points per game this season. Couple that with the team’s inability to hold most opponents under 70 points, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Against the Beavers, the Oregon defense was noticeably absent from the court, especially during the Beavers’ 20-2 run that seemed to last the entire 20 minutes of the second half. It didn’t, but it may as well have.
“They were playing all offense, and we were playing defense the whole time,” senior Alissa
Edwards said.

Injuries abound
Oregon has been suffering from a multitude of injuries this season, never more apparent than when the Ducks had only eight players suited up against Oregon State.
There is no update on junior Cathrine Kraayeveld. She is still expected to miss at least four more weeks, although Smith has said there is a strong possibility the forward will not make it back this season.
Sophomore Andrea Bills has been filling in for Kraayeveld on the offensive end, but she is suffering from plantar fasciitis in her left foot. She is not expected to miss any games.
The same goes for junior Kayla Steen. The junior missed the Oregon State contest due to a sore back but should play against Washington and Washington State.
“This is a big test for us and this program, in terms of what has happened to us, and we’ve got good reasons to go on,” Smith said. “We’ve got games in front of us, we’ve got the Pac-10 Tournament, and our focus is to get better each and every time we hit the basketball floor.”

Final Duck thoughts
Oregon is 3-4 this season when freshman Carolyn Ganes scores more than 10 points in a contest. Conversely, the Ducks are just 3-6 when the 6-foot-3 forward fails to score in double digits.
The Gill Coliseum jinx was supposed to take care of Oregon State when the Ducks visited Saturday. The Beavers had not won in Corvallis against Oregon since 1996, but they did so in convincing fashion. The loss for Oregon pushes the Ducks’ record on the road in Pac-10 play since the 2000-01 season to 7-14.
The last time Oregon lost to both Oregon State and Washington — Thursday’s opponent — in the opening half of Pac-10 play came during the 1992-93 season. Oregon’s record that year? The Ducks finished Pac-10 play at 3-15.