Ducks Push Cougs Into Rare Depths

Pac-10 women’s basketball

For the second consecutive game, Washington State fell victim to a fast second-half start by its opponent as the Cougars fell to Oregon 77-65 in Pacific-10 Conference action Saturday night in Eugene, Ore.

WSU (3-13, 0-6 Pac-10) shot 54 percent in the first half and built a 33-28 lead at intermission. It was the first halftime lead for the Cougars since Dec. 20, when they defeated Bowling Green. That was their last victory and they have lost eight games since.

The 0-6 start in conference play is Washington State’s worst since the Cougars dropped their first nine conference games in the 1986-87 season, the inaugural year for Pac-10 women’s play. The eight-game skid overall is the longest since 1993-94, when the Cougars lost 11 straight, including a forfeit loss at Arizona State.

Oregon (13-4, 4-1 Pac-10) erased its five-point halftime deficit with a 19-3 run to take a commanding 47-36 lead with 13:37 to play.

The win was the 19th consecutive home victory for Oregon, marking the sixth-longest active streak in the country. It came before 5,367 fans at McArthur Court.

The Cougars will return home for a 7 p.m. contest against California on Thursday.

Oregon 77, WSU 65

Washington St. (3-13) - Harrod 0-4 0-0 0, Volkman 1-5 1-4 3, Dietel 7-13 6-7 20, Nyseth 1-1 0-0 2, Kerns 4-10 2-4 12, Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 1-3 1-2 4, McNeely 4-10 5-6 13, Berglund 3-4 1-2 7, De Anda 1-1 2-2 4. Totals 22-51 18-27 65.

Oregon (13-4) - Wolvert 8-11 3-4 19, Mowe 1-1 0-0 2, Williams 6-15 6-7 20, Craighead 3-3 0-0 8, Strange 5-10 0-0 10, Piers 1-2 0-0 2, Shreve 0-1 3-4 3, Edwards 0-2 0-0 0, Dion 1-4 0-0 2, Fredrick 0-1 0-0 0, Moore 0-1 0-0 0, Unaka 0-0 0-0 0, Meharry 2-6 7-9 11. Totals 27-57 19-24 77.

Halftime-Washington St. 33, Oregon 28. 3-Point goals-Washington St. 3-9 (Kearns 2-4, Smith 1-2, McNeely 0-1, Dietel 0-2.), Oregon 4-10 (Craighead 2-2, Williams 2-5, Edwards 0-1, Shreve 0-1, Piers 0-1). Fouled out-Kearns. Rebounds-Washington St. 26 (Volkman 7), Oregon 39 (Wolvert 10). Assists- Washington St. 14 (Nyseth 6), Oregon 15 (Williams 7). Total fouls-Washington St. 20, Oregon 23. A-5,367.

Oregon St. 78, Washington 59

At Corvallis, Ore., Felicia Ragland scored a career-best 24 points to lead the Beavers (7-10, 3-2 Pac10) over the Huskies (5-13, 1-5).

Washington (5-13) - Erickson 0-0 2-4 2, Payne 7-15 0-0 18, Sheets 3-10 3-4 9, Franza 4-14 3-5 12, Gray 2-4 1-3 5, Duncan 0-0 0-0 0, Autrey 0-2 0-0 0, O’Neill 3-9 0-0 7, Diggins 2-4 0-0 4, Pimley 0-0 0-2 0, Reichmann 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 22-59 9-18 59.

Oregon State (7-10) - Petraitis 6-8 2-4 14, Ragland 9-17 2-2 24, Cook 3-7 2-4 8, Ca. Wiersma 2-8 3-6 7, Ce. Wiersma 2-4 2-4 8, Rukstelyte 2-3 3-5 7, Kinsman 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-5 0-0 0, Funn 2-2 4-8 8, Estell 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-55 18-33 78.

Halftime-Oregon St. 30, Washington 25. 3-Point goals-Oregon St. 6-18 (Ragland 4-7, Che. Wiersma 2-4, Cha. Wiersma 0-3, Thomas 0-4), Washington 6-14 (Payne 4-9, O’Neill 1-1, Franza 1-4). Fouled out- Erickson, Sheets, Cha. Wiersma. Rebounds-Oregon St. 47 (Ragland 10), Washington 30 (Sheets 6). Assists- Oregon St. 16 (Cook 5), Washington 13 (Gray 5, Franza 5). Total fouls-Washington 26, Oregon St. 20. A-1,175.