Winter break was anything but merry for the Oregon women’s basketball team.
After achieving a 7-1 mark and a spot in the national rankings during fall term, the Ducks managed only one win in six games over the break, including an 0-4 start to their Pacific-10 Conference schedule.
After a promising 5-0 start, Oregon suffered a huge blow when senior All-American candidate Cathrine Kraayeveld was lost for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during practice on Dec. 2. The 6-foot-4 forward was the Ducks’ leading scorer, rebounder, shot blocker and three-point shooter. The Ducks have sorely missed her presence on the boards and often looked confused offensively without her.
“We’re certainly going to miss her,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said after Kraayeveld’s injury. “She’s not going to be able to contribute like she has on the floor, but I think it opens up a great opportunity to step up and certainly for our younger players to develop.”
Despite her absence, Oregon was able win three of its first four games minus its leader. Once the competition stiffened, however, Kraayeveld’s absence was exploited to the tune of five consecutive losses.

Oregon 68, Santa Clara 56
Oregon started its winter break schedule with a trip to Santa Clara on Dec. 16. The Ducks overcame a 34-29 halftime deficit to defeat the Broncos at the Leavey Center. Junior center Andrea Bills led Oregon with 18 points and 20 rebounds. It was her second consecutive 20-rebound game, something that hadn’t been done since 1975.
Despite getting the win, Bills was unhappy with the Ducks’ slow start to the game, a problem that Oregon has yet to solve.
“We just weren’t going out and playing hard,” Bills said after the game. “We’ve got to try to start coming out and playing the whole game. We’re going to start playing better teams in the Pac-10 and they’re going to take advantage of that.”
Bills hit the nail on the head as Oregon has gotten off to a miserable start in all but one of its losses.

George Washington 72,

Oregon 52
After grabbing a win at Santa Clara, the Ducks flew across the country for a Dec. 18 battle with George Washington in Washington, D.C. The Colonials jumped out to a 32-11 lead and cruised to victory at the Smith Center, where they had won 23 of their last 25 games. The game marked a missed opportunity for Oregon to get some positive East Coast exposure.

California 61, Oregon 57
Oregon opened Pac-10 play with a loss at California on Dec. 27. The Ducks held a 28-26 lead at the half but shot just 34 percent in the second half. The loss overshadowed a career-high 14-point performance by freshman forward Eleanor Haring.
Oregon struggled with handling California’s pressure defense and with scoring in the paint, two problems that have haunted the Ducks in other contests.

Stanford 77, Oregon 51
Any thoughts that Oregon had of evening its Pac-10 record were quickly disposed of by then-No. 9 Stanford. The Cardinal built a 41-21 halftime lead and cruised to victory on Dec. 29 at Maples Pavilion. The Ducks finished with three players in double figures but their 51 points set a season-low.

USC 69, Oregon 55
Oregon returned home for the first time in nearly a month on Jan. 2 for a showdown with USC. The Ducks’ undefeated (5-0) home record vanished as Oregon once again dug itself an early hole, falling to the Trojans by a margin of 69-55 at McArthur Court.
Ebony Hoffman was a force inside for the Trojans, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds.