On Thursday night at McArthur Court, the Oregon women’s basketball team shared the love.
Junior Kedzie Gunderson tied a career high in rebounds and points, forward Eleanor Haring set a career high in points scored and point guard Corrie Mizusawa blocked her first shot as a Duck.
The Ducks (12-11 overall, 4-9 Pacific-10 Conference) had one of their best rebounding games this season, and for the first time in the Pac-10 season, Oregon scored more than 70 points with a 74-52 victory against Washington State.
“Everyone just came out ready to play,” Gunderson said. “We stuck to our strengths and played how we wanted to play, not how they wanted us to play.”
Quick starts were one of the Ducks’ biggest energizers in the win. Oregon took the lead immediately when center Andrea Bills hit a layup with less than a minute and a half gone on the clock. Persistent defense and an off-shooting night for the Cougars helped the Ducks jump out to a 9-0 lead before Washington State scored its first points — a wide-open three pointer by forward Nikki Stratton — 4 minutes and 47 seconds into the game.
“We wanted to get a really good start and maintain that intensity that we created all throughout the game,” head coach Bev Smith said. “That’s what we needed to do tonight.”
The second half started in similar fashion, with Oregon making a 13-0 run before the Cougars (5-18, 1-13) scored on a three-point basket by Kate Benz 4:20 into the half.
“We just got it done tonight,” said Bills, who led Oregon with 10 rebounds.
For the fourth time this conference season, the Ducks didn’t give up their lead near the end of the game. After Smith and the squad spent weeks running situational drills for having a late lead, Oregon kept its lead in double digits — from a Carolyn Ganes three-pointer almost halfway though the first half until the final buzzer sounded at a 22-point lead.
As a team, the Ducks made a season-high 31 field goals in the victory, shooting an impressive 51.7 percent. They also outrebounded the Cougars, 40-29.
“Obviously, 19 assists on 31 baskets, that’s where we were at when our team was playing very well and we had some offensive flow,” Smith said. “We just did the game plan to a ‘T.’ For the first time in a long time in the second half, we put a team away when we needed to put them away.”
Haring had a career night against the Cougars. The freshman from Australia put up a career-high 16 points and came one shy of tying her career high of five steals.
“I think the girls just did a great job of finding me,” Haring said. “I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Gunderson had a career night as well with 13 points and 7 rebounds in 26 minutes on the court. She made her first three-point shot since Dec. 6 and added three assists.
“I thought those two just did an outstanding job at both ends,” Smith said. “I thought they played very tough. (Eleanor) just really gave us some offensive ignition.
“(Gunderson) went to her strengths offensively. Her shot selection was perfect. She hit a three for us, she got people out and went by them, she got a couple offensive board and that’s Kedzie Gunderson at her finest. Those two were real important lynchpins for our team.”

Oregon gave everyone on the bench minutes on the court Thursday. Freshman Cicely Oaks scored two points in four minutes playing in her sixth game this season, while sophomore Yadili Okwumabua added two points and two rebounds in seven minutes.
Benz led the Cougars with 17 points while guard Jessica Perry scored 11 and Stratton added 10.
Mizusawa, Oregon’s transfer junior from California’s Saint Mary’s College, moved up another place in the Oregon record books with an eight-assist performance against the Cougars. She is now No. 4 all-time on Oregon’s single-season assists list with 154.
The Ducks have a day off today before they host Washington at 2 p.m. Saturday at McArthur Court.
“I think we have more to prove to ourselves (than to Washington on Saturday),” Smith said. “We know that we’re a better team than we were a month ago.”
In January, Washington beat Oregon, 95-50, on the Ducks’ trip to Seattle.
“We definitely owe them a big one,” Gunderson said. “They crushed us the last time we played them. We’re definitely looking to come in, defend our home court and give them a run.”