UO gets `A' for effort and a `W' to advance.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

Oregon hadn't played in two weeks, and it showed.

Showed in the Ducks' inconsistency on offense. Showed, too, in the way they had enough energy to run UC Santa Barbara nearly out of the building, as Oregon played through its mistakes to throttle the Gauchos 70-54 on Saturday in a second-round game of the Women's National Invitation Tournament before a season-low 1,533 at McArthur Court.

Oregon improved to 11-1 all-time in the WNIT - the Ducks won titles in 1989 and 2002 - and set up a game to be played next week against either Wyoming or Missouri, who meet this afternoon. The Ducks also gave Bev Smith her 100th victory as their coach, doing so nearly a month after their last win and two weeks removed from their last game, a loss in the Pac-10 tournament.

"We talked at the beginning of the game, and all week, that maybe our execution wouldn't be as good as it needed to be right away, because it has been a couple weeks since we played, but our effort was there," said Smith, now 100-82 in six seasons at Oregon. "Offensively we turned the ball over and did some things that you could see that rust, but what I really liked is, we talked that maybe our execution is off but our effort can't be off.

"I think they came out with a really good understanding of our game plan, and I think the first five or six minutes we kept Santa Barbara on their heels a little bit."

Other than 21 turnovers - signs of the rust Smith spoke of - the stat sheet was sparkling for Oregon. The Ducks (17-13) shot 50 percent, and held UCSB (19-14) to 29.7 for the game and 18.8 in the first half. Oregon grabbed a season-high 45 rebounds against the Gauchos' four-guard lineup and had 20 assists on 28 field goals - 12-of-12 in the first half.

"They certainly didn't look rusty at all," said UCSB coach Mark French, whose team had to win Thursday in San Diego to advance to Saturday's game, while the Ducks enjoyed a first-round bye. "They shot the ball well, they defended really well, they played really well. Oregon just looked good."

Tamika Nurse hit the first of her career-best three three-pointers to make it 10-3 early on, and she nailed another to spark a nine-point run that made the score 26-13. On the other end, Oregon swarmed UCSB's leading scorer, center Jenna Green, and closed off lanes so that the Gaucho guards settled for three-pointers.

Besides Green, the Ducks were most concerned with UCSB's ability to score in transition, but the Gauchos did so very few times, despite all the UO turnovers. Credit Oregon's hustle, perhaps a product of that two-week layoff, as the Ducks got back on defense to limit fast-break opportunities.

"We are very good when we play defense in the halfcourt, so that was a focus," UO defensive stalwart Kaela Chapdelaine said. "Today was one of the best jobs we've done in defensive communication."

With the lead secured after halftime, the Ducks pounded the ball into the post, where their forwards were more than Green could handle herself. Eight of Eleanor Haring's 10 points, nine of Carolyn Ganes' 13 and six of Jamie Hawkins' 10 came in the second half.

"You could see that the 40 minutes from Thursday were accumulating," Smith said.

In all, five Ducks scored in double figures. Nurse finished with 11 points in one of her best performances since she was named Pac-10 player of the week in early February, and Taylor Lilley added 10.

Lilley and Hawkins led a 27-point effort by Oregon's bench, which included Jessie Shetters' most effective performance since she suffered the stress fracture that cost her 11 games during Pac-10 play. While Nurse played 38 minutes, none of her teammates played more than 22, meaning the Ducks should be just as fresh when they take the court again later this week.

Their energy still in place, the goal then will be matching the intensity they brought Saturday.

"We were just so excited to play," Nurse said. "We were so sick of playing each other and our practice players the last two weeks. They're great to play against, but it's not the same as playing someone else, playing a game. So we were just really excited to get out there, and even more excited to play at Mac."

UO WOMEN IN WNIT

The Ducks face either Wyoming or Missouri next week; they will find out today who they play and when.

W N I T : O r e g o n 7 0 , U C S B 5 4