Led by a solid first-half performance from Eleanor Haring, the Oregon women’s basketball team bounced back from its unsuccessful weekend in Los Angeles to overcome Arizona 86-73 at McArthur Court last night.
Haring finished the night with 20 points – 18 of which were scored in the first half – six rebounds, and 9-of-14 shooting from the field.
The Ducks (10-5 overall, 2-3 Pacific-10 Conference) played an impressive outside game, shooting 52.4 percent from beyond the arc. Thirty-three of Oregon’s 86 points came from three-point field goals.
Freshman guard Taylor Lilley and senior guard Cicely Oaks each contributed three three-pointers, and finished with 13 and 17 points respectively.
“I think coming off the Los Angeles series, we had a team that was feeling good about the way they competed, but not real good about not pulling off the victory,” Oregon coach Bev Smith said, referring to the Ducks’ losses against USC and UCLA last weekend.
Oregon’s defeats to the Trojans and then the Bruins were both due to weak second-half performances in which the Ducks’ offense stalled in the dying minutes of the game.
Against the Wildcats, Oregon rolled to a 54-45 lead by the end of the first half, then came out strong in the second half and continued to fend off a persistent Arizona offense.
Led by Joy Hollingsworth’s 22 points, the Wildcats finished with three players scoring in double-digits. But Oregon limited the Arizona output to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half.
“They really challenged us to shoot the ball from the outside and we did that, and then they closed down the outside and we took it to them inside,” Smith said. “I’m really pleased with that.
“We had 23 assists on 33 baskets, and that’s exactly how we have to play: as a team. When we share the ball, really good things happen.”
Coach and players alike agree that Oregon’s offense this year is more potent than it was at this time last year, and that the Ducks’ offensive threat is often overlooked by other teams.
“We have good shooters on this team,” Oaks said. “I think it’s good that we got points on the board because I don’t think people think we can score.”
“We’re scoring more this year,” sophomore guard Tamika Nurse agreed. “It’s important because last year we could hold teams but couldn’t put up enough points to win games.
“This year we are putting up more points, but you do still need to stop people. You can’t let defense slip regardless.”
The Ducks will put their newfound offensive capabilities to the test when they face No. 11 Arizona State (14-2 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) at home tomorrow.
“It’s a battle, Arizona State is a tough team, they’re scoring very well this year as well as playing tough defense,” Smith said. “But our team looks forward to playing a top-ranked team, we don’t get many of those coming through Mac Court, and we want to make sure we’re ready to look after the ball, play some defense and see where that will take us.”
Despite the rollercoaster ride that the Oregon’s Pac-10 season has been thus far, Smith believes the Ducks have come away from all their close losses with renewed confidence.
“I think our team now realizes that they can win playing against anyone,” Smith said. “I think they’re playing to win now rather than playing not to lose, and that’s a big difference mentally.”[email protected]