Meek and timid did not describe these Ducks. Frustrated and lackluster they were not. These players were aggressive and confident, poised and arrogant. But most important of all: They were finally winners.
Junior guard Micaela Cocks bent over at the buzzer, after playing another 40 minutes, and it could have been confused for fatigue. Nope -just happiness.
“It was a relief feeling. I was just happy to get a win and it felt good,” Cocks said. “It was really fun. We played with some attitude. We were on our front foots, and we played to win instead of hoping they lose.”
That attitude adjustment from Thursday night was the entire difference, and it was sparked by the play of Oregon’s starting post players, sophomore Ellie Manou and freshman Amanda Johnson. Both had 18 points, Manou grabbed nine rebounds and the Ducks outrebounded the Huskies.
“Tonight we had an ‘oomph’ about us,” Manou said. “We got pumped; we were celebrating each other’s victories, and coming together on the court. That’s what we have to do because ultimately we are the ones who control what happen.”
The “oomph” showed itself in the second half, where Oregon outscored Washington by 11 points and shot a blazing 68 percent from the field. It had been awhile since the team played well in both halves of a game, and Oregon head coach Bev Smith said it was the execution.
“At the end of the first half we weathered their storm,” she said. “We were down by 10, then got it to within three, and we came out the second half and didn’t panic. We felt we had the upper hand inside, and we just executed our offense and hit some big shots at the end of the shot clock.”
The presence of Manou in the paint anchored the team down the stretch. She scored 10 of her points in the second half, including the go-ahead lay up with 6:04 left in the game that sent the crowd of 2,373 into a frenzy.
“The looks we got tonight were different looks,” Manou said. “I found that I didn’t have to create my shot as much as I created the space for my shot and I got the passes that led into lay ups. That’s where the difference was.”
Manou’s relief was evident in talking about the type of game she had. On Thursday night in the team’s loss to Washington State, she was 2-for-10 from the field with five points. She never attempted an uncontested shot in that game, but against the Huskies, her teammates were finding her open.
“The posts did a fantastic job,” Cocks said. “Ellie got some tough passes, but she pulled them in and finished strong for us. Washington did a good job in the first half not letting us have easy outside shots. … Our inside presence opened up our outside game and we were able to make those shots.”
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‘Oomph’ is difference for Ducks in win
Daily Emerald
February 14, 2009
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