Ducks Rally to Defeat WSU; #2 Cal Up Next

Oregon (14-16) will now move on to play the No. 2 seed, California (24-5, 15-3), at 1:15 p.m. Saturday.

Oregon freshman Ellie Manou finished with her third double-double of the year for Oregon. Photo courtesy: goducks.com

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Despite trailing by five at the break, Oregon turned up its defensive intensity in the second half, to defeat Washington State 66-45 on Friday night, and advance to the second round of the 2008 State Farm Women's Pac-10 Tournament at HP Pavilion.

Oregon (14-16) will now move on to play the No. 2 seed, California (24-5, 15-3), at 1:15 p.m. Saturday. The Bears are currently ranked 10th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Oregon fans can follow live stats or watch a live video stream at www.pac-10.org. The radio broadcast will also be available on KSCR 1320 AM.

Washington State ends its season with a 5-25 record.

After trailing by five at the half, the Ducks outscored Washington State 43-17 in the second period, led by 55.2 percent shooting from the floor during the final 20 minutes.

“At the half we talked about making a difference on the defensive end, and getting in the passing lanes,” head coach Bev Smith said. “To our players credit, we took over the tempo of the game.”

The Ducks final 21-point edge was their largest margin of victory in the seven-year history of the Pac-10 Tournament.

Three Oregon players finished the game in double figures, led by Taylor Lilley’s game-high 20 points on four baskets from long distance.

“I knew I was going to have open looks,” Lilley said. “I just tried to relax, keep balance and they started to go in.”

Ellie Manou produced her third straight game in double figures with 15 points and also added 11 rebounds for her first career double-double..

Cocks also pitched in 13 points, dropping in three treys of her own, and senior Kaela Chapdelaine had a game-high seven assists.

The Cougars were led by Jasmine Williams’ 17 points.

Junior point guard Tamika Nurse played all 40 minutes for Oregon.

The Ducks were able to get their lead to double digits after back-to-back three pointers from sophomore Micaela Cocks, putting Oregon ahead 51-39 with 9:49 remaining.

Trailing by as many as seven in the beginning of the second half, a Lilley three-pointer cut the Cougars’ lead to two, and a Chapdelaine layup tied the game, 32-32, with 16:25 remaining. Oregon reclaimed the lead on a Manou offensive board and putback. It was part of a 13-2 run by the Ducks, putting Oregon ahead 40-34 with 12:48 to go.

Washington State went into the locker room with the 28-23 advantage at the half after Katie Calderwood knocked down a shot from long distance at the top of the arc with four seconds to go.

The Cougars took their first lead after scoring the first basket of the game, when Williams drained a three-pointer on the baseline to put the Cougars ahead 17-16 at the six-minute mark.

The Ducks took an early 11-2 advantage, led by a three-pointer from Lilley and a play on the defensive end that brought a steal and led to a layup. Oregon had four assists on its first five baskets.

But the Cougars responded by scoring eight unanswered, including back-to-back three-pointers from Salena Dickerson and Williams.

Lilley had two steals that resulted in breakaway layups during the first half.

Williams led all scorers with 12 points at the break, as Washington State shot 50.0 percent from the floor.

Source: goducks.com

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