Outside Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., a storm was blistering. It may have been safer in the snow, though, than it was on the basketball court Sunday as a hurricane swarmed the floor — and its name was Shreve.
The last-minute heroics of sophomore point guard Kourtney Shreve gave the Ducks their second victory in as many days at the Glaxo Wellcome Invitational at North Carolina State University. No. 24 Oregon defeated the host school 50-47 Sunday to take home the tournament trophy and a 2-0 start in the new campaign.
With less than 41 seconds remaining in the contest, Shreve — who was thrust into the starting role after Shaquala Williams’ season-ending injury — drove the lane and sank a runner — her only field goal of the game — to give the Ducks a 48-47 advantage.
Consecutive blocks by junior guard Jamie Craighead and Alyssa Fredrick stopped the Wolfpack attack, and Shreve’s two free throws with 13 seconds left sealed the Oregon victory.
“You couldn’t have thrown Kourtney Shreve into the fire any more than we did today,” head coach Jody Runge told KUGN after her 145th career victory at Oregon. “That kid has a lot of courage, and she is still building confidence.”
With 24 turnovers, the Ducks could not get the ball rolling offensively. However, they did force No. 19 NC State to commit 19 turnovers of its own and held them to a dismal 15-of-54 shooting (28 percent).
“The guards really stepped it up a ton,” said senior Angelina Wolvert, a 6-foot-3 inch forward who impressed many professional scouts with 22 points Sunday en route to being named the tournament MVP. “We wanted this and we played with a lot of heart. Our success came because we worked as a team. Everyone stepped up and made some big plays.”
The Oregon bench also played a pivotal role in the victory. In just her third game after suffering a knee injury six weeks ago, senior Lindsey Dion’s four points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals proved to be essential.
“This team has done a great job this weekend from top to bottom,” Runge said. “We’ve had great play from our bench. There hasn’t been anyone on our bench that hasn’t contributed in some way. That’s what it takes to win a tournament like this.”
In the season opener Saturday, the Ducks took advantage of poor free throw shooting by No. 16 Wisconsin to defeat the Badgers, 71-57.
Wolvert paced the Ducks with 19 points, while senior center Jenny Mowe added 14.
“I love playing against bigger, more physical players,” Mowe said of Wisconsin’s front court.
Oregon took a 20-point lead on a Mowe tip-in with 8:47 to play, but a 10-2 run by the Badgers brought them within 12 with 4:23 remaining. Shreve’s only basket of the game, a three-pointer, ended the rally and eased the Ducks into victory.