It wasn’t pretty Saturday night in Pullman.But it was a win, and that’s the most important thing to the Oregon women’s basketball team.
The Ducks had solid all-around performances and pulled out another last-second thriller againstWashington State, 73-69.
The Ducks led the entire second half, but never could find comfort in it. Oregon led the Cougars71-66 with 28 seconds left, but after a few missed free-throws for Oregon, and clutchfree-throwsfrom the Cougars, Washington State had the ball with six seconds left, trailing by two.
But the Ducks, who lost on last-second shots in Pullman last season and the year before, wouldnotsuffer the fate again, as Edwards stole the ball to secure Oregon’s first victory in its lastfourgames.
“This was a very tough game for us, psychologically and emotionally,” Oregon head coach Bev Smithtold KSCR-AM. “Our team did a really good job knowing that this was a good opportunity. We didsome things offensively that we haven’t done in the past.”
Oregon (7-11, 3-6 Pac-10) splits its weekend with the Northwest rivals after a loss toWashingtonon Thursday, and the Ducks will move within one game of fifth place in the Pacific-10 Conferencewith the win.
The Ducks shot 44 percent from the field on the night and went 9-for-15 from the free throwline.Oregon turned the ball over 13 times and was out-rebounded by four.
The Cougars shot 43 percent from the field, and were 5-for-12 on 3-pointers. Washington Stateaccumulated 43 rebounds on the evening, yet gave the ball up 20 times due to Oregon’s newfounddefensive energy.
It was a game that was evenly matched from the open tip-off. And after the first 10 minutes ofplay, the teams were almost square with Oregon leading 18-17.
The Ducks struggled from that point, as junior Lindsey Egeland hit a three-pointer to give theCougars their first lead of 20-18 en route to an 11-0 run. But after a hot first half bysophomoreBrandi Davis, the Ducks weathered the storm and fought their way back to a halftime lead of36-35.
Davis was hot from the start, scoring eight of Oregon’s first 10 points, and she headed into thelocker room with 19 points of 9-of-14 shooting. She fell just one shy of her career-high 20pointsand had played only 17 minutes.
The California native finished the night with 24 points, a new career high.
“She is just unbelievably talented,” Smith said. “She did a great job of taking advantage of heropportunities. Thank God she was hot in that first half, because it really kept us feeling goodabout ourselves offensively.”
When Oregon entered the second half, it found the offensive rhythm and defensive intensity thatithad been looking for. The Ducks led the final 20 minutes, by as many as nine, although theCougarsdid not make it easy on Oregon.
“Defensively we rallied harder than we ever have and I think that was the turning pointtonight,”Smith said.
The Ducks had solid performances across the board tonight and it made the difference. Davis ledall scorers, followed by freshman Carolyn Ganes, who earned her first career double-double with19points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Kedzie Gunderson also came through strong for Oregon with some clutch offensiverebounds, and added 11 points in her 32 minutes.
Junior Bianca McCall, who had 20 points and nine rebounds, led Washington State, followed byEgeland with 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Ducks are past the halfway point in Pac-10 play and now return home to McArthur Court, wherethey face Arizona State on Thursday night.
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