The table was set for the Ducks on Saturday: The chance to claim both second place in the Pacific-10 Conference and an undefeated home record against Pac-10 teams on Senior Day were available for the taking.
Three Oregon seniors played at McArthur Court for the final time in their careers. They each got plenty of recognition, and they each went out with a lot to be proud of.
But what about the fourth senior on the Ducks’ roster?
Senior guard Brandi Davis reminded fans — and has reminded opponents all season as she did in
Oregon’s 69-51 victory over Arizona — that she’s a dangerous and exciting player with another season of
eligibility left.
But she doesn’t want to be the
one to break the bad news to her
Pac-10 opponents.
“I’m not trying to put a certified stamp on what I’m doing,” said Davis, who finished Saturday’s game with a team-high 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting with five three-pointers. “It’s not a ‘hey, I’m coming back.’ It’s just I went out there and played. We all competed, and we came out with the win.
“This was a big game for the seniors, and I was just enjoying it because they were enjoying it.”
Davis, a native of La Habra, Calif., has started the last five games for Oregon and was the leading scorer in four of the last seven contests.
“She’s playing a lot more — playing very confident,” Arizona head coach Joan Bonvicini said.
“She misses one (shot), but she doesn’t have any conscience about putting up the next one.”
That’s how Davis has played
all season and all through her career. Even though she lets the ball fly with more frequency than her teammates, she has gained a recent shooting
discipline similar to seniors Cathrine Kraayeveld, Andrea Bills and Corrie Mizusawa, a trio that has led
the team.
“They’re our big three, even though Corrie is a little short,” Davis said. “We’re really proud of all our seniors, and we were just happy to give them the biggest present of all, and that’s going undefeated at Mac Court in
Pac-10 play.”
Before the game, the three outgoing seniors were recognized for
their accomplishments and the statistics they’ve recorded in their careers, which have included countless floor burns.
Kraayeveld notched the 27th
double-double of her career with 14 points — including four three-pointers — and a game-high 12 boards. Her three-point shooting ability has been a major factor in Oregon’s multi-dimensional offense, which spreads opposing teams’ defenses.
Bills continued to show her durability against Arizona’s 6-foot-5 Shawntinice Polk down low as she captured 10 points and 10 rebounds.
At point guard, Mizusawa once again completed a game with more assists (nine) than points (two) while choreographing her team’s play for 39 minutes.
Regardless of whether they were coming back for another season or not, each senior on Oregon’s roster played with the same passion and the same objective on Saturday.
“I’m just so happy for our team because I really feel like their work paid off for them,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “We had some ups and downs this year; we had some disappointments and some highs.
“This is a great end to our home-court season, but the team knows we’ve got another season coming up, and it starts Thursday night
at Stanford.”