Ducks fly past w. hoops
By Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
Shooting as if it had blindfolds on, the UCLA women’s basketball
team fell to Oregon, 75-48, Thursday night in Eugene.
Both teams were frigid in the first half, and after the first 10
minutes of the game, the score was only 12-5 in favor of the
Ducks.
While the Bruins’ shooting dipped below freezing in the second
half ,connecting on 8-32, the Ducks suddenly became hot.
Despite shooting 31 percent in the first period, Oregon could
not miss in the second half. Shooting 67 percent the Ducks
outscored UCLA, 45-27. The 30 percent shooting effort by the Bruins
is their lowest of this season.
"Defense has been a big reason for our success this season,"
UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said. "Again tonight our defense gave
us opportunities, but we failed to capitalize. We got the shots we
wanted but could not convert."
UCLA (9-8 overall, 4-4 Pac-10) also could not hold onto the
ball. Although the Bruins lead the conference in turnover margin
(4.4), UCLA gave the ball up 26 times while only forcing 20
turnovers.
Early foul trouble also haunted the Bruins. Center Kisa Hughes
scored 11 points, was 4-4 from the field and grabbed 9 rebounds,
but early fouls restricted her to only 20 minutes of playing time.
Meanwhile, sophomore Tawana Grimes also had to sit out most of the
game due to fouls.
The big player for Oregon (12-6, 4-4) was forward Arianne Boyer.
The leading scorer for the game tallied 18 points, seven rebounds
and six steals.
For the Bruins, freshman point guard Erica Gomez contributed a
team-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Surprisingly, junior Nickey
Hilbert – who has been a consistent high scorer for the Bruins –
only scored 4 points.
* * *
Ending the first half of conference play on a high note will be
a tough assignment for the Bruins when they play No. 18 Oregon
State in Corvallis Saturday night.
When the Beavers step onto the court they will bring an
abundance of experience. For the second straight year, OSU returns
all five starters from a team that ended last season ranked No. 21.
In fact OSU lost only one player and had no newcomers. The only
change on the roster for the Beavers is the addition of first year
head coach Judy Spoelstra.
A major returnee for OSU (13-4, 5-3) is the 1995 Pac-10 Player
of the Year Tanja Kostic. Averaging 24.7 points and 10.6 rebounds,
Kostic leads the conference in scoring and rebounding.
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Center Kisa Hughes played just 20 minutes in Oregon due to foul
trouble.
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