The first game came down to the final 4.9 seconds.
Oregon’s final possession ended with a 19-foot jumper by Brandi Davis for a 56-54 victory.
That was the first Civil War this season, Jan. 10, at McArthur Court.
Saturday brings the second round of the women’s basketball Civil War, this time at Gill Coliseum with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
“I know we’re going to go through the highs and lows during the game because it’s so emotional, but we need to come and be emotional for the game and be ready to go,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “I thought that’s what we did here (in January). We just played with composure and allowed the energy to fuel us when we needed it to and yet didn’t get too high or too low.
“In a rivalry game, who ever looks after those emotions — both good and bad — will be in control.”
In the 72nd women’s Civil War, both Oregon and Oregon State are rebounding from a split road trip to Los Angeles last weekend. The Beavers (11-9 overall, 5-6 Pacific-10 Conference) are currently sixth in the conference while Oregon sits eighth.
The Ducks’ record — 11-10 and 3-8 — has sparked a bit of emotion into their season.
“It’s always a big game against Oregon State,” forward Kedzie Gunderson said. “We’re just going to go in and play like we’ve been playing. We’ve been playing well right now, working well against the zone and they play a lot of that.”
Oregon has spent the past weeks concentrating on one concept: playing as a team. Past the lost leads, the struggle against the full-court press and the cold-shooting nights, the Ducks are making each game about themselves more than their opponent.
“You always study the scout and do this and do that, but right now it’s totally about making sure that we’re playing well together,” Gunderson said. “Once we do that, the rest just comes.”
The Ducks currently have junior Andrea Bills leading the way with team highs of 11.9 points per game and 8-4 rebound per game.
Gunderson and Davis, starters for the Ducks, are among the top contributors. Davis is averaging 9.5 points per game while Gunderson averages 5.1.
“Every Civil War game is pretty intense, so I think it’s going to be a tough game for us up there ,” Davis said. “Their intensity level is going to be a lot higher as far as wanting to come and take the win, so that’s going to be the biggest thing: Who has the most intensity.”
The fans will add to the intensity for both teams. Last season, Oregon State averaged 1,300 in attendance at home games but 4,572 fans came out for the Corvallis-hosted Civil War.
In comparison, the Ducks were second in the conference with a 4,433 average. The fans, often a close ratio of Oregon green to Oregon State orange in Corvallis and Eugene, will likely play the sixth woman in Saturday’s game.
“We bring as many fans as we do and it fills it up,” Smith said. “You can sense the tension. You can sense where Oregon fans are and it’s pretty orange and black in there, so you can sense the Beaver-ness of it.”
In an extended schedule that rivalry week provides, the Ducks took Monday and Tuesday off from team practices. It provided an opportunity for a few minor injuries to heal.
Smith said that guard Chelsea Wagner’s left knee — her torn lateral meniscus — is better than it was during the Los Angeles trip.
“We’ve got a lot of bumps and bruises, but with our team it doesn’t matter,” Gunderson said. “We’re all going to work hard and work through it.”
The Ducks stay in Oregon following the Civil War to host Washington and Washington State at McArthur Court next week.