After Washington State’s Bianca McCall had her way with Oregon in the teams’ first matchup of the season, the junior forward was stopped short of anything Thursday night as the Duck post players dominated.
McCall scored 20 points and had nine rebounds in the Oregon win on Jan. 25. But in the Cougars’ trip to McArthur Court, McCall had just three points and two rebounds.
“She was a focus because she played really well before,” junior Cathrine Kraayeveld said. “We definitely wanted to try and stop her and her momentum. We did a great job on her.”
Oregon’s post was a much different story, as three out of the Ducks’ six players in double figures were post players. Freshman Carolyn Ganes and Kraayeveld both had 13 points, followed by sophomore Andrea Bills, who netted 11.
Kraayeveld had an all-around solid performance, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and adding nine rebounds and three blocks. Bills was just as dominant with her nine rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes.
“Tonight we were just working hard,” Bills said. “We’ve been practicing all week to get down low and get position and think in our mind that we have an advantage in there.”
The Ducks’ four players down low did just about whatever they wanted right from the start and had no trouble converting in the paint. To start the game, Oregon’s post contributed 18 of the first 20 points.
The low post has made some solid strides over the season to better establish dominance as each player has started to learn her strengths. From Ganes’ high-arching shot to the defensive presence of Bills, Oregon head coach Bev Smith has seen great improvement.
“They really did a very good job defensively,” Smith said. “They have done their homework in studying their opponent and all four of them are very supportive of each other.”
The Ducks big women got it done on both sides of the floor Thursday night and did not give the Cougars anything easy. McCall, who is the leading scorer and rebounder for Washington State, was extremely limited as she turned the ball over four times.
Forward Holly Harris and center Candance Fields did combine for 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Cougars, but Oregon won the battle of the boards.
With Kraayeveld back in the lineup for Oregon, it has allowed the Ducks to have a solid rotation of four players at any time down low to contribute both offensively and defensively.
In the junior’s 19 minutes tonight, Kraayeveld’s abilities brought solid unity to this low post lineup.
“It gives us a chance to go in and get what we need done,” Bills said. “With four of us in the post it is much better and more intense. Our focus is to get it inside and work hard and that is a big key for us.”
Oregon’s post has established itself as one of the most dominant in the conference. The Ducks got it done against the Cougars, and now will have to try and match center Andrea Lalum and 6-foot guard Loree Payne of the Huskies on
Saturday night.