Going into the game against Arizona Sunday afternoon in Eugene, Oregon women’s basketball found itself in a tough spot. The Ducks only had nine players on the roster.
Two of the five starters were out with injuries, with both senior Lexi Petersen and redshirt junior Jacinta Vandenberg sporting boots on their right feet.
Petersen went down in the final moments of the loss against Arizona State on Friday, limping off the court into the locker room.  It was her first missed start since January 17, 2014 — snapping a run of 66 straight games in which she was in the opening lineup.
Vandenberg got hurt during practice leading up to the game.
“I kid her, its that two inch vertical, she got too high and rolled the ankle,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said after the game.
The other player missing was backup forward Liz Brenner, who was with her family after her father passed away on Saturday.
“We love Liz, love her family,” Graves said. “We are thinking and praying about them.”
Despite all of this, Oregon was pulled out a 76-54 win over Arizona thanks to a team effort across the board.
“Especially with everything that has been going on, it was a big game for people to step up,” senior Kat Cooper said.
Cooper was one of the keys to the win. The senior stepped up as a replacement starter and scored 18 points. She shot 6-of-9 from deep.
In some ways the forced shakeup in the depth chart could be a blessing in disguise. It allowed several players to gain valuable minutes that will be important if more injuries occur later in the year. Freshmen Oti Gildon and Lauren Yearwood recieved extended time and made some important plays, with Yearwood pulling down rebounds and Gildon providing tough defense.
Mar’Shay Moore continued to improve, pushing the tempo and bringing a bulldog mentality to the defensive end, while Jordan Loera stepped up to play out of position at point guard.
“I’ve always thought injuries and things like that in the short term — its funny, they don’t really hurt you,” Graves said. “Kids step up, they find something within themselves.”
Right now there is no timeline for the injured players returning, and in the long run the lack of depth could be an issue. But for now the Ducks will take the win, experience and confidence.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur