There is a reason they’re called exhibition games, and the Oregon women’s basketball team showed why Friday at McArthur Court.
The Ducks looked out of sync at times, and even head coach Bev Smith called the performance “ugly,” but a 10-2 run in the final two minutes proved enough to defeat KSC Szekszard, a Hungarian traveling team, 83-77.
“It was a little of what we expected,” Smith said after her Oregon coaching debut. “We knew we were going to make some mistakes, but what we expected was 100 percent effort. And we didn’t always get that.
“But I think our character came out at the end.”
After sitting out last season with a knee injury, junior guard Shaquala Williams made her return with a game-high 22 points, despite shooting just 1-of-10 from three-point land.
“Our defense was just terrible tonight,” Williams said. “We can’t play like that if we want to be competitive. With a lot of new people playing together, we are just going to have to gel a little more.”
Sophomore Cathrine Kraayeveld scored eight of her 16 points in the final 84 seconds to secure the win for the Ducks. Senior forward Alyssa Fredrick also chipped in 16 points and six rebounds.
One of six freshmen on the squad, Amy Parrish, a 6-foot-2 forward, showed great potential with 11 points and six rebounds in 15 minutes.
As a team, the Ducks said they are nowhere near they want to be.
“We have a long way to go,” Williams said. “From where we want to be, we’re only about 50 percent (there).”
Even at 50 percent, though, senior guard Jamie Craighead — the new face plastered on the outside of Mac Court — said she’s “not too worried” about the rest of the season.
The Ducks have their final warm-up Thursday against Western Oregon at 7 p.m. before hosting Wisconsin-Green Bay in the season opener Nov. 17.