SEATTLE — Oregon and Washington entered Thursday’s game at Bank of America Arena as basketball teams facing similar circumstances.
After 40 minutes of basketball, however, the Ducks and Huskies looked like teams heading in opposite directions.
With each team looking to rebound from a rough start to Pacific-10 Conference play, Washington demolished Oregon, 95-50, in front of 3,940 fans.
The 45-point loss was the third-worst in school history. Oregon lost to Oregon State by 65 and Western Washington in 50, both in 1975.
“I think (the loss was) very frustrating and certainly in the first half very embarrassing,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “I don’t think we competed. There’s a level of confidence with our team right now that is struggling. But I think you overcome that by competing and playing hard.”
The Ducks (9-7 overall, 1-5 Pac-10) jumped out to an early lead after a three-pointer by Chelsea Wagner made the score 5-0.
The Huskies (9-7, 2-5) quickly turned things around by scoring 14 consecutive points, igniting a 24-5 run. During the run, which lasted nearly nine minutes, Oregon was held to 1 of 11 shooting, including a five minute, 40 second scoreless drought.
After Oregon forward Eleanor Haring broke the Washington run with consecutive baskets, the Huskies closed the half on a 23-3 run to remove any doubt.
“I think it was huge,” Washington guard Giuliana Mendiola said of the win. “It showed we have confidence in one another and we still believe in one another. The season’s far from over and there’s a lot of basketball left. Our intensity was really high, especially defensively to start the game and it just rolled from there.”
The Ducks struggled with every facet of the game, but their most glaring problem was a lack of rebounding. Washington out-rebounded Oregon 56-32 and grabbed 22 offensive boards.
Husky redshirt freshman Jill Bell was the Ducks’ main nemesis on the boards. The 6-foot forward grabbed 13 rebounds — eight offensive — and routinely out-hustled Oregon players for the ball.
“We’re asking Jill to provide more energy and intensity,” Washington head coach June Daugherty said. “The crowd gets excited and her teammates get excited when she gets up and works as hard as she does. Obviously the best way for her to bring more energy is to get up and get rebounds which she is doing well.”
Oregon once again struggled offensively, scoring less than 60 points for the seventh straight game. The Ducks shot 31 percent from the floor, including 14 percent from three-point range. They have shot below 40 percent in eight of the last 11 contests.
While Oregon was struggling offensively, Washington was setting the nets on fire. The Huskies shot 48 percent, connected on 11 three-pointers and had five players in double figures.
Freshman forward Breanne Watson led the way for Washington with 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting. The performance came after the Huskies had been criticized for relying too much on their seniors for scoring. Watson also connected on three of four three-pointers.
“I was just running the floor and getting the open lanes,” Watson said. “My teammates were hitting me and I converted all my layups. I’ve been kind of tentative on the perimeter this season because I don’t feel it’s my place to score. When I’m open I’ll take the shot and when I was on the baseline the hoop looked like the ocean.”
Mendiola scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while senior Andrea Lalum added 17 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Gioconda Mendiola finished with 11 points, while freshman guard Cheri Craddock added 10.
Brandi Davis led Oregon with 13 points, while Andrea Bills added 12 points and nine rebounds. Bills has tied or led the team in rebounding in 11 consecutive games.