After an extra day of rest, Ducks would be happy to stay busy.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Ducks got what they wanted: an extra day off before beginning play in the Pac-10 tournament.

Today, the Oregon women's basketball team open its postseason as the event's sixth seed, with a quarterfinal game against third-seeded and 25th-ranked California at 11 a.m. in HP Pavilion. This morning brings the first of three potential matchups in the tournament, as the Ducks try to polish their already strong case for a berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament.

Having won just one of their last three - and that a lackluster victory at Washington State - the Ducks (16-12) were thankful to earn the No. 6 seed and avoid playing in one of Friday's two games. Oregon appeared on the first day as the eighth seed last season, and didn't survive a matchup with Arizona.

Tired and out of sorts in their regular-season finale at Washington, the Ducks needed Friday's extra day of rest. But what that meant was another day of shooting around, lingering in the hotel and attending to various tournament functions, while four other teams got to play.

"I'm ready to get going, but I'm glad we had (Friday) to relax," UO senior Eleanor Haring said after Oregon's 45-minute workout in HP Pavilion on Friday. "It was a good day to just settle down, settle the nerves. I'm glad we had the extra day still, and I'm ready to play."

Thus refreshed by the extra day off, the Ducks will be challenged by a Cal team out to redeem itself after a substandard showing the last time they played. Oregon, which lost at Cal (22-7) on Jan. 20, evened the season series on Feb. 15 by dominating the No. 22 Bears, 62-42.

Only conference player of the year Devanei Hampton seemed ready to play for Cal that day. She had 27 points and 13 rebounds, while her teammates combined for 15 points on 6-of-30 shooting. Oregon wasn't much better in the first half, shooting 36 percent to lead by just three at halftime, but the Ducks shot nearly 61 percent in the second half to run away with the game.

"They're a tough matchup," Cal coach Joanne Boyle said earlier this week. "We're going to be taking a look at a lot of film to see what we can do differently from what we did at Mac Court."

A more inspired effort from all-Pac-10 forward Ashley Walker would help. She is averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds this season, but she was frustrated by early foul trouble in Eugene and had just four points and three rebounds.

For the Ducks, that game was the only one of their last six in which they scored 60 or more points. Over those six games, Oregon has also had a better shooting percentage after halftime in each, and UO coach Bev Smith thinks they can reverse that first trend by ending the second.

Smith expects Cal to bring heavy defensive pressure, after Washington flustered Oregon by doing so last weekend. But she is hoping for a strong start on offense, which she said would be "good for morale" after the Ducks' recent struggles.

"I really feel that our defensive game plan is solid," Smith said. "So it's really going to be making sure we execute offensively, get good shots and try to get opportunities we want rather than just playing helter skelter."

Which is not to say, though, that the Ducks intend to be conservative. Even with a short bench, the players and coaches said they can't look past today's matchup and try to conserve energy.

"You come down here, it's do or die," Haring said. "You need to get that one game. There's no point in saving yourself for a possible game down the road when you might not even get there."

Cal also uses a small rotation, usually eight players. Boyle scheduled several preseason tournament appearances to simulate this week's event, with the Bears having played on back-to-back nights three times this season, sweeping two and splitting once.

"It's not that (fatigue) is not a factor," Boyle said. "I just think they're used to it and able to push through it."

The Ducks played on consecutive nights just once, splitting two home games. Oregon's rotation today may be bolstered by the presence of senior center Jessie Shetters, whose status has been a game-time decision since she returned from a back injury two weeks ago.

"I think she can give us a couple minutes here or there, and I think we'll be helped by that," Smith said.

OREGON WOMEN

VS. CALIFORNIA

Oregon (16-12)

Starters

Eleanor Haring, 6-1 Sr.

(13.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg)

Carolyn Ganes, 6-3 Sr.

(9.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Kaela Chapdelaine, 5-10 Jr. (6.5 ppg, 3.5 apg)

Cicely Oaks, 5-7 Sr.

(7.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

Tamika Nurse, 5-8 So.

(9.1 ppg, 3.2 apg)

California (22-7)

Starters

Ashley Walker, 6-1 So.

(8.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

Devanei Hampton, 6-3 So. (4.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg)

Keanna Levy, 5-10 Sr.

(2.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg)

Lauren Greif, 5-10 Fr.

(8.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

Natasha Vital, 5-8 Fr.

(8.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

Time: 11 a.m. PST 

Radio/TV: KUGN-AM (590) or KSCR-AM (1320).

UO WOMEN VS. CALIFORNIA

11 a.m. today at HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif. TV: None. Radio: KSCR-AM (1320) or KUGN-AM (590).