The Oregon women’s basketball team made its first-ever trip to New York during the weekend and came away with two victories and a tournament title to show for the journey.
Oregon outlasted Miami 79-73 on Friday and dominated Long Island 68-50 on Saturday to claim the trophy at the Long Island University Turkey Classic, held at the Schwartz Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Ducks remain unbeaten early in the 2004-05 season, improving their record to 4-0.
More importantly, Oregon proved they can win on the road, something they struggled with last year, compiling a 3-9 record away from McArthur Court.
Oregon forward Cathrine Kraayeveld was named the tournament’s MVP. For the two games, Kraayeveld scored 28 points and collected 18 rebounds.
For Kraayeveld, it was her fifth-straight MVP honor, starting with the 2002 Women’s NIT, which Oregon won.
“We wanted to come in and get two wins and just play consistently and I think we did that,” Kraayeveld said. “It’s different coming out to the East Coast … it’s a little different style than we’re used to.”
Along with her 28 points, the senior also added seven assists, five steals and three blocks.
“She’s not just a scorer, but a player at both ends,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “That’s the difference between a good player who’s one dimensional and a great player. She gets out on the lane and runs, she’s good defensively and just makes us better on both ends.”
Ducks shut down
LIU in title game
Defense, something the Ducks have been preaching all year as the starting point for the team, helped Oregon get a big lead early against the Blackbirds and never look back.

After giving up a three-pointer to Long Island’s Amber Wirth to start the game, the Ducks clamped down on defense, igniting a 19-2 run before the 10-minute mark in the first half.
“Defensively, we had much greater intensity for the whole 40 minutes,” Smith said. “We got 12 steals and they turned into transition points for us. I thought we did that as well as we ever have, as far as running the floor and taking advantage of turnovers.”
For the game, the Blackbirds committed 18 turnovers, 12 coming off of Oregon steals.
The Ducks also benefited from hot shooting to begin the game, connecting on seven of their first 10 shots, and finished the half 17 of 26 (65.4 percent).
Junior guard Chelsea Wagner, named to the all-tournament team along with Kraayeveld, drained two three-pointers early to continue her hot shooting from the day before. Wagner finished with 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting.
“She had a great tournament,” Smith said. “Chelsea is very defensively solid. She’s got great ball pressure, she’s great in the passing lanes and is a smart defender. It gives us the opportunity to start a game well and bring that defensive intensity.”
The Blackbirds brought the deficit to within 10 just before the half but were unable to get any closer for the rest of the game.
Oregon senior point guard Corrie Mizusawa was the other Duck to score in double figures against Long Island. Mizusawa chipped in 11 points and for the tournament and handed out 16 assists while committing only three turnovers.
“We know each other’s games inside and out,” Mizusawa said. “The post players know where we are every single time. That’s the focus of our team, (Kraayeveld) and (Andrea Bills).”
Oregon survives multiple runs by Miami
The Ducks used career nights from both Wagner and sophomore Eleanor Haring to hang on for their victory over Miami on Friday.
Oregon led 32-30 at halftime, behind Haring’s 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting. The Ducks, on multiple occasions, pushed the lead to nine, while Miami — behind 22 points from Tamara James and a double-double from Yalonda McCormick — kept coming back to tie, but was never able to capture a lead.
The game remained tight until Oregon went on a 5-0 run with two minutes left in the game. Wagner sealed the victory with four free throws.
Wagner finished the game shooting 6 of 9 from the floor, while Haring finished with 10 of 11. Her .909 field-goal percentage is the 10th best ever in a single game for the Ducks.
“We came out pretty focused and ready to play,” Wagner said. “Basketball is a game of runs and we made a few key ones tonight.”

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