By Lindsay Schnell, The Oregonian
CORVALLIS -- Oregon State women’s basketball coach Scott Rueck has always stressed to his teams that they can’t play to the scoreboard. Instead, Rueck says, players should be focused on how they’re executing offensive and defensive sets.
That advice has never been truer as Rueck prepares the Beavers to travel to Eugene for round one of the women’s Civil War.
Oregon State (7-10, 0-6 Pacific-10) is less than a year removed from a scandal that rocked the program's foundation and left the Beavers with only two returning players. After creating a roster with freshmen and walk-ons, OSU surprised fans early , going 7-4 in the preseason. The Pac-10 has been a different story: OSU has yet to play a full 40 minutes of basketball, Rueck says, and it’s cost the Beavers more than one game.
“We’re still learning how to close, how to get stops when we need them, get rebounds, make shots, everything,” Rueck said, joking that it feels like he took the job 10 years ago.
“I’ve always said you can’t play to the scoreboard. Now it’s the true test of that. We talk about how you can’t focus on that. When it turns into a loss it’s really hard not to let it hurt, of course. That’s what everybody judges us on (wins and losses) especially at this level, but if people step back and look at who we are and what we’re accomplishing, there are a lot of good feelings.”
A better feeling would come after a win, which is something Rueck hopes his team can do as they try to play spoiler to the Ducks (11-6, 2-4), playing for the first time in Matt Knight Arena.
The Beavers have their work cut out for them: Oregon averages a conference-leading 83.1 points per game, playing at a breakneck pace known for wearing down opponents. (Sound familiar, football fans?)
Doug Beghtel/The Oregonian Oregon women's basketball coach Paul Westhead hopes the Ducks can get back on track with their running style this Sunday against Oregon State.
The Ducks are led by Amanda Johnson and Nia Jackson, two standouts who each average 16 points per game. In addition to their scoring, Johnson pulls down 8.5 rebounds a game and Jackson dishes out almost six assists per contest.
“I feel like she’s the key to the game,” Rueck said of Jackson. “We have to contain her, … she can take games over.”
Oregon State will counter with freshman Alyssa Martin (14.6 points per game) and walk-on sophomore Sage Indendi (10.6 points, 2.9 assists). The Beavers have slowed teams with a 2-3 zone, anchored on the inside by senior El Sara Greer, who is ninth in the nation at 3.2 blocked shots per game.
Rueck knows that it is more important than ever that OSU not let the Ducks run away.
“We need to have great offensive possessions,” he said. “That’s one thing that will put pressure on them. And like with everyone, we need to make it a halfcourt game.”
The Ducks are coming off an 87-57 thumping from UCLA. The Bruins shot 52.7 percent from the floor that game, making it difficult for Oregon to run off made shots.
“We’re trying to get back on track,” Oregon coach Paul Westhead said. “We’re a running team, we’ve got to get back to that.”
Said Jackson: “We’re looking to push the ball, that’s going to be our bread and butter. And we have to do a better job rebounding.”
Oregon officials expect the largest crowd ever to watch an Oregon women’s basketball game on Sunday. The previous record of 9,738 was set on March 8, 1996 against Oregon State at Mac Court. Matt Knight Arena’s official capacity is listed at 12,364; all advance tickets have been sold but some may be available for purchase at the door.
Rueck said he welcomes a large crowd, and knows his team will be able to handle it. At Weber State on Dec. 14 more than 4,500 kids packed the stands and screamed for two hours. It was loud and a little distracting, but OSU managed a 62-55 win.
“You couldn’t hear anything,” he said. “It was insane. It was an awesome environment.
“This is why we play. We don’t want to play in front of empty arenas. We want the thing packed, going crazy. That’s when the best moments are made.”
--Lindsay Schnell (my best material is on Twitter )
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