BERKELEY, Calif. - Only one player was able to score with any consistency Thursday, and she was in the blue and gold of California.
So despite a gritty effort by Oregon, the story was Ashley Walker and her 25 points for the Bears. On a night when her supporting cast struggled, Walker lifted No. 9 Cal to a 61-52 victory over the Ducks before 1,150 in Haas Pavilion.
Oregon fought the Pac-10's best rebounding team to a near draw on the boards, and became just the fifth opponent this season to keep Cal below 40 percent shooting for a game. But the Ducks' own struggles to convert baskets remained an Achilles' heel as they fell to 8-7 overall, and 2-2 in conference play entering Saturday's visit to Stanford.
"There's no moral victories for this young team," UO coach Bev Smith said. "And that's why they came out and played as they did tonight, and as they do every night. Because they feel they have a chance to win against anyone. Maybe that's the innocence of a young team, but I like it."
Oregon was at 43.5 percent shooting for the first half, and owned a 24-22 lead. The Ducks then scored on three straight possessions early in the second, getting a third long jumper of the game from post Ellyce Ironmonger to make it 29-23.
But Walker then scored on consecutive trips for the Bears (14-2, 5-0), while Ironmonger picked up two quick fouls to give her four for the game, forcing her to the bench. With Ironmonger out and UO leading scorer Taylor Lilley being hounded by Natasha Vital, the Ducks had nowhere to turn for points. Cal pushed into the lead, and held on the remainder of the night.
Smith told of an angry, frustrated locker room immediately following the game. Some time later, point guard Micaela Cocks said the Ducks wilted a bit when Ironmonger left the game.
"It's just keeping the energy, maintaining that energy," Cocks said. "Not having a lapse when things happen, like Ellyce's fouls."
Cocks laid in two points to make it 31-27, and Oregon then went nearly 14 minutes with just two field goals. One was a long jumper by forward Victoria Kenyon, and the other was a layin by Kaela Chapdelaine that beat the shot clock by a hair. Neither seemed like anything resembling what Smith might have drawn up in a huddle.
Vital put Cal ahead 32-31 with a driving layin, and Walker put back a missed free throw to make the lead three. Rama N'diaye, Walker's unlikely compatriot in the post as Pac-10 player of the year Devanei Hampton struggled through an off night, scored two straight buckets to make it 40-33. Cal was off and running, and the Ducks had no answer, shooting 31 percent after halftime.
"We were taking the shots they were giving us," said Lilley, who had to hit three three-pointers in the final two minutes to reach her team-high 15 points. "We just have to finish those."
Forwards Ellie Manou and Nicole Canepa have been limited in practice by recent injuries, and that has kept the two freshmen from developing their scoring touch so far. Thursday they combined to go 2-of-10, mostly from short range. Manou did add eight boards, one behind the career-high total posted by Cocks, drawing Smith's praise despite a 2-of-8 shooting night.
"Once we get her feeling a little bit more comfortable, I think we'll have another go-to player," Smith said.
"Because she was fantastic on the boards. You can see the physical aspect of her game is good, it's just that small touch that she needs to really help us."
One of Manou's two field goals gave the Ducks their first lead, at 14-13. Walker almost single-handedly kept it close, but Oregon hounded her into a couple of misses late in the half and maintained a lead into the break. After halftime, Walker kept up her scoring, but the Ducks didn't answer.
"She's strong, she's big and she's fast," Ironmonger said. "And she can jump. She's got everything."
Walker also led Cal with eight rebounds, though the Bears, who lead the Pac-10 in rebounding margin at plus-9.9, had just a 35-34 team edge Thursday. That summed it up for the Ducks — they kept it close, but came out on the wrong end.
Lilley called it "frustrating, but exciting." Now the mighty Cardinal loom Saturday.
"We just have to stay confident in ourselves," Lilley said, "and go into that game with nothing to lose again."