The women’s basketball team came to Matthew Knight Arena ready to play in their first exhibition game against Southern Oregon on Tuesday night. The Ducks were victorious over the Raiders 118-74. The women went on a 16-0 run in the first five minutes of the first half and dominated offensively throughout the game. The team commanded the fast break, scoring 34 out of their total 61 points in the first half.
Sophomore Lexi Peterson, who played in all 31 games for the Ducks last season, led the team in scoring with 27 points. Peterson also had 9 boards and 3 assists.
“Last year I was coming off a knee injury, and I don’t think I was as fast as I am now. I try to run as hard as a can in practice every time,” Peterson said.
The Ducks had a balanced attack on offense, with six players in double figures. Along with Peterson, sophomore Amanda Delgado had 22 points and freshman Devyn Galland added with 16 points.
“This is really her first performance because she did not play in Spain. She traveled but didn’t play so this was a nice coming out for her,” head coach Paul Westhead said of Galland.
Starting point guard and co-captain, senior Laura Stanulis, showed why she led the team in assists last year. Stanulis tallied 18 assists and 10 boards.
“What impressed me is that they weren’t sloppy ones, they were spot on,” Westhead said. “She threw it on the dime; they were not easy assists.”
Sophomore center Megan Carpenter, who rarely saw the court last year, was an enforcer in the paint with 13 rebounds and 12 points. In addition, freshman Jillian Alleyne had a total of 12 boards and 10 points.
“There were a couple plays were we missed some shots, and there was Jill putting it back up. She will get nothing but better … she will be an impact player at this university some day,” Westhead said. Alleyne admitted to being nervous in her first game at the collegiate level but said once she got out on the court it felt like second nature.
Westhead accredited his team being prepared by playing in Spain in late August. Throughout the game the team controlled the offensive tempo with the fast break and offensive boards.
“You are always happy when you see a cluster of rebounds,” Westhead said. “You are going to have nights where you miss shots and get offensive rebounds. That is the system, so we just work to get better.”
Turning point. The team dominated from the start, only trailing within the first 30 seconds of the game and their largest lead being 44 points with the final score.  Overall, it was a good night for the Ducks on their first outing.
On the horizon. The Ducks face Corban University in their second home exhibition game on Wednesday Nov. 7 at 7:00 p.m.