Oregon women’s basketball has won six of its last seven games, and have perhaps the conference’s most dependable freshman in Maite Cazorla.
Over the past four games, Cazorla is surging at point guard. She’s averaging 17.8 points per game and 5.5 assists. She has also gone 12-for-22 from 3-point range and 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
That output has earned the freshman two consecutive Pac-12 freshman of the week awards and a USBWA national award on Tuesday morning.
“She’s been great,” head coach Kelly Graves said after Saturday’s practice at Washington. “She’s just been steady. She’s been our most consistent player all year.”
Graves said he saw Cazorla “hit a wall a few weeks ago,” but has seen his freshman guard hit a second wind as of late. That’s good news for the Ducks, who are looking to break an 11-year NCAA Tournament drought.
Cazorla has played the most minutes of any Duck so far this season for Graves with 33.3 minutes per game. During Sunday’s upset of No. 24 Washington, Cazorla had 11 of her 16 points in the second half to help the Ducks erase a 17-point deficit.
“I think she plays in the big moments,” Oregon guard Lexi Bando said. “She starts off the game looking for passing, but she definitely just scores in the big moments for us. That’s really important.”
Off the court, Cazorla is feeling more confident too. The Las Palmas, Spain-native has improved her English skills and no longer asks for translation assistance during media interviews. She smiles and talks candidly about her transition to NCAA basketball.
“She’s definitely breaking out of her shell,” Bando said. “That’s really cool to see. She’ll laugh and joke with us more now. I think on the court she plays like an upperclassmen.”
Cazorla brings a calmness to the Oregon offense, Bando said. Her poise nearly 6,000 miles from home has helped her lead the country in assists among freshmen. She had a career-high 23 points against Arizona to help Oregon start a three-game win streak.
“I think I’m improving,” Cazorla said. “I’m trying to be more aggressive. … [The coaches] said I have to be more aggressive and I’m trying to be more aggressive. When I do, I have assists too.”
Cazorla — already a decorated international player for Spain — has grown tremendously five months into her major life transition, associate head coach Mark Campbell said.
“She gets in the gym early and stays after,” Campbell said. “She watches film. There’s been no secret thing. She’s just evolved, grown and learned the American game: the speed, our system, coach Graves. … You can just see that she’s comfortable. Before, the game was pretty fast. That’s really what’s happened.”
Oregon will rely on Cazorla for consistency as its chase for an NCAA Tournament berth continues. In a way, that’s familiar territory for Cazorla, though.
“This isn’t new to her,” Oregon’s Lexi Petersen said. “I think her experience and composure in big situations makes her better (than other Pac-12 freshmen).”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne