Having lost six of its past eight games, Oregon (10-8, 2-4 Pac-12 Conference) was desperate to elevate its position in the Pac-12 against the Arizona schools this weekend. In two contrasting outings, the Ducks were able to beat Arizona 87-73 on Thursday but fell 53-49 to Arizona State on Saturday. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=236&SPSID=4304@@ @@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/BasketballW/Standings.aspx@@
Against the Wildcats (13-4, 2-3 Pac-12) Oregon came out of the gate scorching from the field, taking a 21-3 lead with 12:37 remaining the first half. The Wildcats, on the other had, were ice-cold from the field. The team started 1 of 13 overall and missed its first seven three-point attempts. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/441424.htm?ATCLID=205360092&SPSID=4307&SPID=236&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500#GAME.BX1@@
The drought was uncharacteristic of a sharp-shooting squad that came into the game leading the Pac-12 in three-point field goal percentage this year (.383), knocking down a total of 100 long-distance buckets. Oregon was 10-of-17 from three-point range in the first period.
“It’s as simple as this: We made shots,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “And if you make shots then the momentum goes.” @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=236&SPSID=4303@@
The Ducks also capitalized on offensive boards in the first half. They had 10 second-chance points on only six offensive rebounds.
Oregon used its hot start to amass a 47-26 lead at the half, but Arizona shrunk the gap with a flurry of its own after intermission. With 12:17 remaining in the game, a layup by Erin Butler brought the score to 57-49. @@http://www.arizonawildcats.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/ariz-w-baskbl-mtt.html@@
“We had to tighten some things up in the second half when they made a run at us,” Westhead said. “And the difference in the second half was the poise of Lexi Petersen, who took over the game for us.” @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=236&SPSID=4305@@
Petersen, a true freshman who had largely seen extensive time at small forward this season, played her first serious minutes at the point guard spot this year and did an admirable job filling in for injured starter Nia Jackson. Petersen went 4 of 8 from the field and 9 of 10 from the line, scoring 17 points. She also chipped in four rebounds and four assists, though she turned the ball over eight times in her first extensive action as the team’s primary orchestrator. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=236&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205360092@@
“I’m getting used to it now,” Petersen said. “It used to be a little shaky — I was hit or miss — but now I feel like I’m pretty comfortable.”
No one on Oregon looked comfortable on offense in the next team’s game against Arizona State (11-5, 2-3 Pac-12).
Two days after one of its best offensive outings of the season, the team struggled from the field in a 53-49 loss. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sun Devils, who were swept by USC and UCLA in Tempe last weekend before falling at Oregon State. @@http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/w-baskbl/sched/asu-w-baskbl-sched.html@@
“Not a lot to say,” Westhead said. “A game we would have liked to have had. We have to score more than that to win games.”
Despite shooting just 23.3 percent in the first half of play, Oregon led Arizona State at halftime, 17-16. Those 17 first-half points were a new season low and the second-lowest scoring total in a half during the Paul Westhead era. In the first half, Arizona State shot only 20 percent from the field and 1 of 9 from three-point range. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=236&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205361181@@
“I thought we played reasonable defense, reasonable-to-good,” Westhead said. “But if you can’t make shots then you can’t win games.”
Still, the game went down to the wire, with Oregon trailing 50-49 with 20 seconds remaining. However, following missed free throw by Micaela Pickens, a tip-in by Arizona State center Kali Bennett with five seconds left made the score 53-49 and sealed the win for the Sun Devils.
Senior Jasmin Holliday was a rare bright spot on offensive for the Ducks and led the team with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the year. Holliday scored the first eight points of the game for Oregon.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1507348@@
“We got some good action from Holliday,” Westhead said. “We probably could have, should have, gone to her more.”
The Ducks’ offensive woes against the Sun Devils weren’t completely unexpected.
Arizona State leads the conference in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to a .330 clip, while also holding opponents to just 53.1 points per game. Oregon had only five assists and 15 turnovers in the game. @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/wbasketball/2011-12-Stats/HTML/CONFLDRS.HTM@@
The defeat was a major disappointment considering the Ducks ran up 87 points in a 14-point win over Arizona on Thursday. Neither team scored until Holliday knocked down two free throws at the 15:50 mark of the first half. Jada Blackwell’s three-pointer at the 13:17 mark of the first half was Arizona State’s first basket of the game.
“We didn’t come out with the same fire (as against Arizona),” Holliday said. “I think it was there a little bit in the fist half and then kind of died off in the second half. Also, we played a little sloppier than usual. We’ve got to work on cleaning that up for the next couple games.”