In the past 25 years, the Oregon’s women basketball team has only lost one season opener at home.
Gonzaga has that to stress about as it enters McArthur Court at 5 p.m., and the Bulldogs have never beat the Ducks. In fact, they have never even come close.
A 14-point loss in 1990 is as close as it has gotten for the Bulldogs. The last meeting of these two teams was 1996, where Oregon dominated in a 52-33 victory on the road.
But the Ducks said tonight’s game is just another chance to throw 100 points on the board.
“We approach it like any other game played here in Mac Court, and we defend this with everything that we have,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “Any game we play at home has to be something that we all really want to do, feel that we are capable of doing, and demand that we do it.”
Oregon enters its season opener after gliding through its first exhibition games with ease. The Ducks dominated their first two opponents by a combined score of 214-97.
Gonzaga has been known over the past few years as a powerhouse killer and has played the Cinderella part well, but it doesn’t seem to faze Oregon in the slightest.
“It’s not really important to us what they bring,” senior Shaquala Williams said. “We have our standards, and what we want to do every game, and if we do those things, we feel like it doesn’t matter what they do.”
“We want to establish Mac Court as a place that nobody wants to come to,” said the star senior, who was named as one of the top five point guards in the nation by ESPN.com. “And the best way to do that is to win.”
The Ducks have been satisfied with their offensive flow this season and feel they are ahead of where they were at the end of last season.
Oregon has been in practice all week and likes the way things look. The Ducks have put a lot of focus on defense, rebounding and ball movement.
The Ducks focus on three main aspects every game, which are to work hard on defense, control the defensive end and be unselfish offensively, according to Williams. If the women can do those things, they feel as if they can beat anybody.
Since 1986, Oregon and Gonzaga have met six times and history proves to be on the Ducks’ side. The Ducks hope to get things off on the right foot as they almost always have done in the past.
“Every win is important, and especially the first one of the season,” senior guard Alissa Edwards said. “Starting off on a good note is always a good way to go.”