For all that was positive in Oregon's win over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday in Portland, it featured yet another slow start by the Ducks.
Five missed layups prevented the UO women from holding a dominant halftime lead. Oregon's strong defense and better ballhandling were encouraging, but the score at halftime was just 20-19, on the way to a 65-56 win.
"The disappointment is to score 20 points in a half," UO senior Kaela Chapdelaine said. "It's not like we played terribly. We just missed a few.
"We are improving, which is positive. But we need to keep building from there, because when we get to Pac-10, if we only score 20 points in one half, that's the potential to get completely blown out."
That potential exists not just in Pac-10 play, but tonight as well.
The Ducks (5-3) are at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, to face 10th-ranked Baylor, which is putting up frightening numbers so far this season.
In starting 6-0, the Bears have played one of the nation's weakest schedules to date, owing to five home games and only one significant win, over California. But Baylor has been taking care of business with ease: The Bears have an average scoring margin of plus-35.7, and an average rebounding margin of plus-17.7. They make 52.2 percent of their shots, and allow opponents to make just 31 percent.
"With Baylor, it's more of a track meet than a chess game," UO coach Bev Smith said of the Bears, who beat Oregon in the 2005 NCAA Tournament on their way to the national title.
"They're very quick-hitting. They don't spend a lot of time offensively."
The Ducks' only hope could be to slow the tempo and break Baylor's rhythm. Limit turnovers on offense, and lengthen possessions to wear down the Baylor defense.
Then, slow the Bears' transition offense and force them to play in the halfcourt, where Oregon can use its pack defense to try to deny the Bears' forwards and force the guards to shoot from outside.
Baylor has four players who average in double figures, including forwards Danielle Wilson and Rachel Allison. They're also two of the three Bears making better than 60 percent of their shots this season.
"They get the ball inside, and they're athletic and they're smart," Smith said. "That's going to be a real challenge for our posts."
Other than the manic Chapdelaine, who leads the Ducks in rebounds and assists, the team's best player the last two games has been freshman post Ellyce Ironmonger. After back-to-back double-doubles, Ironmonger is likely to draw extra attention from the Bears tonight.
"I've got to find ways to counter that and use my teammates," she said.
The problem with Oregon's desire to establish a slower tempo is this: The Ducks haven't been very good in the first few minutes this season.
Overall, the Ducks have a scoring margin of plus-49, but in the first half that number is just plus-seven.
Contrast that with Baylor, which is exactly doubling its opponents' first-half output, scoring 258 points and allowing 129.
Clearly, a win would require Oregon's best performance of this young season.
"It's an opportunity in all ways," Smith said. "We really need to go down there, try to measure ourselves and see where we are."OREGON WOMEN VS. at baylor
Oregon (5-3) Starters
Tamika Nurse, 5-8, jr. (6.1 ppg, 1.6 apg)
Taylor Lilley, 5-6, so. (11.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
Kaela Chapdelaine, 5-10, sr. (9.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
Ellyce Ironmonger, 6-4, fr. (8.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
Nicole Canepa, 6-5, fr. (9.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Baylor (6-0) Starters
Angela Tisdale, 5-7, sr. (14.3 ppg, 2.8 apg)
Jhasmin Player, 5-10, jr. (14.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Jessica Morrow, 6-0, jr. (9.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Rachel Allison, 6-0, jr. (12.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
Danielle Wilson, 6-3, so. (14.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg)
Time: 15 p.m. PST
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