While most University students were enjoying their winter break, the women’s basketball team was taking care of business.
With eight games in the last four weeks, December and early January proved to be an important stretch for the Oregon squad. And with Pacific-10 Conference play starting early due to the inaugural conference tournament in March, a fast start is more important than ever.
But conference play began ominously for head coach Bev Smith’s team.
After splitting a pair of nonconference matches with Utah and Brigham Young, the Ducks traveled to Los Angeles Dec. 20 to begin their earliest conference start since the program joined the Pac-10 in the 1986-87 season.
Ahead 43-25 after one half of play at UCLA, the Ducks saw their lead shrink quickly in the second half before holding off the Bruins for a 76-67 win.
Staying down south, the Ducks faced their stiffest opposition yet, taking on the Trojans of USC. Oregon was hit with a surprise from the outset when senior Edniesha Curry had to sit out the start of the game due to a left foot injury. She would eventually enter the game late in the first quarter, but she was not her usual self.
Despite connecting on half of their shots from the field in the first half, the Ducks were down big at the break, 43-34, and were not able to make up the difference in the second half. Junior Shaquala Williams led the Oregon attack offensively, leading the team with 29 points and posting five assists.
As was the case against UCLA, consistency plagued the Ducks. USC was vulnerable in the second half, but Oregon could not capitalize.
“Our big problem is our consistency for 40 minutes,” Smith said after the game.
Sophomore forward Cathrine Kraayeveld made the first start of her career against pivotal conference foe Washington on Dec. 28. Kraayeveld, who leads the team in field goal percentage, gave the Ducks an inside presence and a shooting touch from the perimeter.
Logging 35 minutes against the Huskies, she helped the Ducks defeat Washington, 69-56, before 4,791 fans at McArthur Court. Oregon defeated their Pacific Northwest rival for the 12th straight time, and the Huskies have not won in Eugene since 1993.
“She’s becoming that player we knew she would,” Smith said of Kraayeveld. “She can score and drive but the assists are her best asset.”
If there was one team the Ducks could take lightly, it would be Washington State. Fortunately for Oregon, the Cougars visited Mac Court two days after the Ducks’ impressive win against Washington, and Washington State would be no different.
Their 76-47 win over the Cougars represented Oregon’s biggest margin of victory this season, with “balance” the key term in the win.
Eleven of the 12 Oregon players scored at least one point in the victory, with only senior Alyssa Fredrick scoring in double figures. After the blowout, the Ducks were 3-1 in conference play and were beginning to gel as a team.
After splitting a weekend series against Arizona and Arizona State in their most recent games, Oregon is 9-6 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
As usual, Williams has been the heart and soul of the offense, but she has gotten help in recent games. Kraayeveld scored a career-high 18 points against Arizona, and senior Jamie Craighead has been electric from beyond the three-point line.