After a game in which Oregon"s guard play was very much in flux, the Ducks intend a return to normalcy today - at least to start.

Bev Smith, the UO coach, will stick with junior point guard Tamika Nurse when the Ducks play at Portland today at 1 p.m. Sophomore shooting guard Taylor Lilley, meanwhile, is likely to return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench in Oregon"s last game.

The Ducks pulled away from Long Beach State in the second half Thursday with Micaela Cocks at the point. Cocks started Thursday in place of Lilley, who is bothered by lower leg soreness related to shin splints, but today Oregon will go back to its usual backcourt pairing of Nurse and Lilley.

Nurse has nine assists and 20 turnovers this season, and is shooting 23 percent.

Six of her assists came in Oregon"s loss to South Dakota State.

"She did some things (Saturday) in practice," Smith said. "We talked about the (Long Beach State) game and her presence, and she was just a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more of a presence."

Oregon (4-2) took Friday off and practiced Saturday morning before driving to Portland. Lilley's legs apparently felt well enough after the workout that Smith declared her fit to start. Lilley, who set a school record for three-point accuracy as a freshman, is the team"s best scoring option despite an inconsistent start this winter.

Not only Nurse but Cocks and freshman point guard Nia Jackson practiced well Saturday morning, Smith said. All could be called on to handle the ball against a Portland team that will play an aggressive man-to-man defense unlike the trapping zone Long Beach State employed most of Thursday's game.

"They're going to press quite a bit, so we have to be ready to handle the ball against pressure," Smith said.

The Pilots (5-2) defeated Boise State on Friday for their best victory of the season. Their losses have come against their other two strongest opponents, Portland State and Arizona.

Rachel Warren, a 6-foot-3 senior, will be one of the best post players Oregon"s freshman forwards have faced this season. The bulk of Portland's production comes from Warren and the guard tandem of Kendra Morris and Laiken Dollente.

This will only be the second game of the season for the Ducks on a hostile court, including their loss at New Mexico on Nov. 24.

Oregon plays its next six games away from McArthur Court, including at No. 10 Baylor and a holiday tournament in Mexico.

"New Mexico was a really good challenge for us," said freshman post Nicole Canepa, Oregon"s leading scorer. "That experience is really going to prepare us for Baylor and Cancun. I think it"s going to be a really good month ahead of us."

But with six freshmen on the roster, Smith doesn't want the Ducks getting ahead of themselves before entering Pac-10 play at Oregon State on Dec. 29. One game at a time, she stressed.

"If we want to have a solid foundation in which to build on in terms of launching into the Pac-10 season, it's important we get some victories on the road," Smith said. "And that starts (today)."