Fighting to stay competitive in a tightly contested Pac-12 Conference, Oregon used stellar free-throw shooting and another solid performance from senior forward Amanda Johnson to edge Colorado 67-62 Saturday afternoon. The win completes a two-game home sweep for Oregon and puts the team back in contention in a crowded conference race. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4307&SPID=236&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205374249&DB_OEM_ID=500@@ @@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/BasketballW/Standings.aspx@@
“We have a happy team,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “I just kind of said to them though, you just kind of played yourself into trouble because now the pressure is on. You have to keep winning because now we’re in the thick of things. It’s nice trouble to play into.”
Johnson scored 26 points (including 23 in the second half) on 6-of-13 shooting. She went 11 of 12 from the line and added eight rebounds in 29 minutes of play. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/445887.htm?ATCLID=205374249&SPSID=4307&SPID=236&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
“The first half was a little bit hard for me,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t really getting a lot of looks and I wasn’t converting the looks I did get. Then somebody pushed me and I fell and hit my head and I decided I want(ed) to play. And then I kind of went off.”
The same could be said for the entire Oregon team. The Ducks shot just 8 of 23 (34.8 percent) in the first half and went to the locker room trailing 34-26. It also allowed Colorado to grab nine offensive rebounds, which resulted in eight second-chance points for the Buffaloes in the first half.
Junior guard Chucky Jeffery led Colorado with four points, three rebounds and five assists along with two steals at halftime. Despite the lackluster start, Westhead said he felt optimistic at intermission.
“We had some good opportunities (in the first half),” Westhead said. “Some good break opportunities and we didn’t cash in on them. So I felt that it was a deceptive eight-point deficit. I told them I felt good about the game.”
Oregon responded, opening the second half on a 13-0 run to claim a 39-34 lead. The Ducks eventually stretched their advantage to 60-48 with 4:01 remaining. However, in characteristic fashion, the home team struggled to handle the ball with caution, committing several sloppy miscues en route to 21 turnovers for the game.
As a result, Colorado clawed back late in the game with a 12-2 run, making the score 62-60 on a Jeffery layup with 37 seconds remaining. She finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds, seven assists and six steals.
But down the stretch, Johnson and freshman forward Liz Brenner nailed five key free throws to seal the victory. Johnson, who started the game 1 of 6 from the field, recovered to go 5 of 7 in the second half, bailing out teammates that shot a combined 10 of 31 (32.3 percent) in the game.
Fellow senior Jasmin Holliday also had a quality outing recording 11 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. With the Ducks nearing a key stretch in Pac-12 play, Holliday expressed optimism that the team can carry momentum from its back-to-back victories into a road trip to Washington next weekend.
“Another sweep would be nice,” Holliday said. “I think we’re really starting to get a feel for our 2-3 zone, that’s starting to work for us, and we’re really starting to gel together as a team, as one unit.”
The play of Johnson, who has excelled as the team’s No. 1 scoring option this season, will be a key barometer for the Ducks going forward. Saturday was her third game back since suffering a broken thumb in December.
“I felt that Amanda Johnson needed three games to be back,” Westhead said. “Even in the past game, she was a little off-center. She’s good enough that you don’t notice it, but she’s a little off-center. Now she’s back.”
Senior point guard Nia Jackson also had a nice all-around performance for the Ducks. She finished with seven points, five rebounds and five assists in 22 minutes of play.
The Ducks return to play Thursday when they take on Washington in Seattle at 7 p.m.