Teams lose. Shooters miss.

Of the eight players who took the floor for the Oregon women's basketball team in its first loss of the season Thursday, six are freshmen and sophomores. There will be losses and misses aplenty for the group over the next three seasons, as there are for even the best teams.

The best teams also bounce back so that losses and misses don't become slumps. That's Oregon's task when it returns to the court, starting tonight against Marquette in McArthur Court at 7. It's the first chance for the Ducks to put a seven-point defeat to South Dakota State behind them.

"The tough teams are determined by how they come back from tough losses like that," sophomore guard Taylor Lilley said. "We have a tough game (tonight), so hopefully we can prove ourselves and prove to our fans that we are going to keep playing hard."

Thursday's loss featured 25 turnovers by the Ducks (1-1), eight from junior point guard Tamika Nurse. Lilley and freshman center Nicole Canepa fouled out. For Lilley's part, some frustration might have been involved ; she endured one of just three scoreless nights in her young career, going 0-of-12 overall and 0-of-8 from three-point range.

The Ducks won't be able to endure many games like that from their best scoring threat. Particularly not tonight, against a team that tied for second in the powerful Big East last season, winning 26 games to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Eagles return just one starter, but that's junior guard Krystal Ellis, who is averaging 21.5 points in two games. Marquette upset No. 25 Wisconsin on Saturday to improve to 2-0 entering tonight.

"This is a really good test," UO coach Bev Smith said. "I think we had a little step back against South Dakota State, but we have an opportunity in front of us at home, so let's get ready to take advantage of that."

Oregon is anticipating even more defensive pressure from Marquette than it faced Thursday. Against South Dakota State, the Ducks too often had trouble getting the ball past halfcourt, robbing them of valuable time on the shot clock.

Nurse and fellow guards Nia Jackson and Micaela Cocks will try to use their speed to counter that pressure tonight. The Ducks are still working to figure out how all their young pieces best fit together, but Marquette is likely to cause breakdowns that will force them to adjust on the fly.

"If we deal with the pressure in the backcourt, we can get some three-on-twos, some four-on-threes, and make them react to that," Smith said.

A better night from Lilley would help, too. The Ducks took Friday and Saturday off from practice, but Lilley did some extra shooting Friday after her scoreless night Thursday.

"I can't think about it so much," she said. "It happens, even to the best. (NBA star) Gilbert Arenas went 0-for-16 one game, so it happens."OREGON WOMEN vs. MARQUETTE

Oregon (1-1) Starters

Tamika Nurse, 5-8, jr. (7.0 ppg, 3.5 apg)

Taylor Lilley, 5-6, so. (9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg)

Kaela Chapdelaine, 5-10, sr. (5.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg)

Ellie Manou, 6-3, fr. (10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Nicole Canepa, 6-5, fr. (13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

Marquette (2-0) Starters

Angel Robinson, 5-8, fr. (7.0 ppg, 2.5 apg)

Krystal Ellis, 5-9, jr. (21.5 ppg, 4.0 apg)

Janelle Harris, 6-0, so. (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

Paige Fiedorowicz, 6-0, fr. (7.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg)

Svetlana Kovalenko, 6-3, sr. (7.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg)

Time: 7 p.m.

Radio/TV: KSCR 1320-AM/None.

Tickets: Reserved seats $15 and $12. General admission $8, or $5 for children and seniors.