Oregon head coach Bev Smith saw promising but inconsistent play out of her squad in Monday’s preseason opener against the University of British Columbia, prompting the fifth-year head coach to make it clear that Oregon has its work cut out for itself heading into the regular season.
“Offensively, we were pleased with some of the things we did,” Smith said after Oregon’s 78-59 win over the Thunderbirds. “Defensively, we still have a lot of work to do right now in terms of keeping people in front of us and making sure we don’t allow the ball to get by us and not allow easy shots.”
Smith saw weaknesses and areas in need of improvement. She also saw a great deal of potential in her players but feels they are still in need of game experience.
“There was a little bit of nervousness and anxiety if anything because they were not only (playing) with each other against an opponent, but they were also doing this in front of a crowd,” Smith said.
The 2,936 in attendance at McArthur Court saw Oregon play for the first time since its second-round exit at the hands of eventual national champion Baylor in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. They also saw senior forward Kedzie Gunderson return to action after missing all of last season with a knee injury. The Bellevue, Wash., native ended the night with two points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of play. She helped clean up under the rim along with teammate Gabrielle Richards, who led the Ducks with 10 rebounds.
“Our motion offense worked well,” Richards said. “We had our perimeter shooters moving around a lot and it gave us a lot of time to make plays and put some shots up.”
Richards also went 7-14 from the field, good enough to lead Oregon with 17 points to complete a double-double.
The undersized Thunderbirds showed why they are No. 3 among Canadian universities with their team’s speed and shooting ability. Julie Little and Caitlin Haggarty both had 11 points and cut Oregon’s lead to two late in the game after Oregon squandered a 41-35 lead going into halftime. The Ducks’ nine turnovers and 11 fouls helped keep the game close, but Cicely Oaks and Kristen Forristall of Oregon both came off the bench in the second half to slow the Thunderbirds offense and preserve the win.
British Columbia went 20-22 from the free-throw line, but its lack of size proved its undoing. The Thunderbirds may have ended with just more than half as many rebounds (25) as the Ducks (43), but they were enough to make the game uncomfortable for Smith.
“Even though they were an undersized team, they are a very seasoned veteran team who has already played eight games this year,” Smith said. “They played really well together, which is what we expected.”
Sealing the win for Oregon was the Ducks’ outside play, highlighted by senior guard Chelsea Wagner and Carolyn Ganes. Wagner buried two jumpshots late in the second half to break the game open and Ganes drained a three-pointer with five seconds left in regulation.
Oregon ends preseason play before hosting the Women’s Sports Foundation tournament with another exhibition Sunday against Northwest Sports at McArthur Court. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.
Oregon women open exhibition season with win
Daily Emerald
October 31, 2005
Cicely Oaks reaches for a loose ball between two University of British Columbia players. Oregon used a 16-2 second-half run to break the game open.
0
More to Discover