It’s been three years since Oregon started the season 2-0.
That season the Ducks made the NCAA Tournament in March 2001.
“I don’t think we’ve been 2-0 like this before,” senior forward Cathrine Kraayeveld said Sunday.
What Kraayeveld means is that record of 2-0 came with wins against 2003 NCAA Tournament teams. That includes a 76-67 domination of No. 9 LSU on Sunday after a 60-47 victory against Valparaiso.
With a strong starting five and injuries doing anything but slowing down these Ducks, Oregon’s claim of the Women’s Sports Foundation Classic’s championship may give the team the momentum it needs for a successful 2003-04 campaign.
Whatever the task was, the Ducks took the challenge — defending a 5-foot-4 point guard Saturday against Valparaiso, playing a physical Southeastern Conference team that pushed a defensive press at the end or playing the last eight minutes of Sunday’s victory with no shot clock directly on top of the basket.
They even bought into the experimental three-point line and trapezoidal key that may go into effect for the 2004-05 season. They combined to hit 45 percent from behind the arc and the only call for three in the key in an Oregon game was on LSU.
The tough physical play of LSU that Oregon faced on Sunday was something the Ducks need to prepare to battle; the road that lies ahead has eaten teams alive before, and the Pacific-10 Conference is a wild one on the court.
The leaders on the floor for the weekend — Kraayeveld, Andrea Bills and Corrie Mizusawa — worked over the competition. In turn, Bills and Mizusawa were voted to the all-tournament team while Kraayeveld was named tournament MVP.
Kraayeveld led the team with a combined 51 points, showing teammates and fans that she has recovered from the staph infection in her knee last season. Twenty-seven of those points came from behind the three-point line.
Mizusawa’s 13 assists in Saturday’s game were one away from tying Oregon’s single-game record for assists.
“There are lots of numbers to look at,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said Sunday. “But the biggest number is that there are 14 young women committed to doing what we have asked them to do and to doing it together.”
Thirteen of them will play this season, while freshman Kaela Chapdelaine takes a medical redshirt year. Guards Chelsea Wagner and Kayla Steen, both injured before exhibition play, were suited up for Sunday’s game, although they didn’t play. Forward Jessica Shetters is expected back on the court Saturday at Gonzaga.
With the full return of their teammates, the Ducks should make noise this season. With a 2-0 start, Oregon has its first kick of momentum.
“We’re really excited about this win, but we have to set a standard now for our team — how we play every single game — and don’t let it down,” Bills said.
This momentum — a championship in their first tournament of the season and an upset of the No. 9 team — should carry the Ducks into their next few games, which in turn would give the team a running start into the season.