Now the Ducks can wipe away the jitters and play ball.
Starting afresh from an up-and-down opening weekend, the Oregon women’s basketball team (1-1 overall) will make the first of two trips this week to Portland for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Portland Pilots at the Chiles Center.
Games against Wisconsin-Green Bay and Miami of Ohio last weekend showed that the Ducks, as expected, would rely heavily on a strong and deep backcourt. Shaquala Williams, Edniesha Curry and Jamie Craighead combined for more than half (71 of 140) of Oregon’s total points in the two games.
Craighead, in particular, broke out of an early season slump in Sunday’s 83-65 win over Miami.
“I don’t like to shoot when I’m not making it,” said Craighead, who scored 16 points, including all four of her three-point attempts. “I get a lot of confidence after I hit that first shot.”
The Ducks are hoping they will get a shot of confidence after their first win of the season. And they’ll need it, too, with three games in the next seven days, including a face-off with Texas Christian at the Papé Jam in Portland on Saturday and a bout with No. 9 Texas Tech next Monday at McArthur Court.
“I don’t think it affects us,” Williams said of the number of games early in the season. “It’s good to play games rather than just practice every day.”
The Ducks have had to rely on freshmen Andrea Bills and Amy Parrish, who combined for 10 rebounds against Miami, for much-needed depth in the paint. The duo will again be called upon against Portland, which features six players six-feet or taller.
Miami head coach Maria Fantanarosa’s team faced the Pilots before taking on the Ducks in Eugene. The Redhawks went back to Ohio 0-2.
“Portland used their post players a lot more,” Fantanarosa said. “Portland is a team that makes a lot of adjustments. … They were well prepared.
“Oregon is a quicker, more athletic team that likes to get up and down the court. They are going to cause some problems.”
The Ducks also hold a 16-1 all-time series lead against the Pilots, including an 80-56 win at Mac Court last year.