This time, the Ducks let their guard down and ran to midcourt for a celebration.
Two days after keeping their composure following a win over Washington State, the Oregon women's basketball team cut loose a little Saturday. When Taylor Lilley stole a pass to clinch a 66-64 victory over Washington, her teammates swarmed her at center court for a joyous ' if brief ' celebration of a game in which the Ducks made plays at both ends to win.
Oregon went ahead on two free throws by Tamika Nurse with 6.7 seconds left, then completed a weekend sweep with Lilley's steal as time expired before a season-high 3,045 in McArthur Court. It gave the Ducks (10-8, 4-3 Pac-10) victories this week over two teams just behind them in the conference, and put them in a tie for fourth with the two teams they face on the road next week, UCLA and USC.
"I think we showed our identity, our Oregon basketball identity," UO senior wing Kaela Chapdelaine said. "We didn't quit. We were out there working our butts off from start to finish. They had their runs, we had our runs, but I thought we showed great poise, great aggressiveness, and we just stuck with it right to the end."
Lax officiating led to one of the most physical games of the season for Oregon, and a series of runs by each team resulted in a back-and-forth pace that added to the intensity. But when the Ducks got the ball with the game tied and 40 seconds left after a missed free throw, the opportunity to win was in their hands. And they took it.
The final UO possession ultimately came down to a drive by Nurse that got her to the free-throw line, where she made both. UW point guard Emily Florence then pushed the ball upcourt and tried to kick to a three-point shooter, but Lilley jumped in for the steal.
"Everyone was in the moment, which is a fun way to play," said Nurse, who had 17 points to support Lilley's 20-point effort.
Nurse had two strong games this week to make a bid for a return to the starting lineup, and other changes could be afoot after post Ellyce Ironmonger suffered a sprained MCL that has her questionable for the games in Los Angeles. But the Ducks will travel south with a two-game winning streak and the kind of win Saturday that could become a defining point of the season.
"Finishing a game like this ' grinding it out, getting a win ' I think sends this young team off on the road with a greater purpose," UO coach Bev Smith said.
The Ducks scored Saturday's first eight points before surrendering a 20-3 run. They fought back to within one at halftime, 29-28, thanks to a spark from Nurse and freshman guard Nia Jackson. Washington (7-12, 2-5) pulled ahead 40-31 after halftime, Oregon charged right back to tie it at 43-43, and Nurse then helped the Ducks score nine straight for a 59-52 lead, the final big run in a game full of them.
"A lot of that's created by defense, on both teams," UW coach Tia Jackson said. "I thought (both teams) played a phenomenal game. Obviously in a situation like this you hate to be the one that comes up two points shy on two free throws. You hate to be that team."
It wouldn't have come down to that but for hot shooting by Washington from the outside, which Oregon struggled to defend all afternoon. Two three-pointers and a Florence three-point play tied it at 64-64. But after a missed free throw by Florence with 41 seconds left, the Ducks let the clock run down and put the game in Nurse's hands.
After her free throws, and given Washington's 9-of-20 three-point shooting on the afternoon, an outside shot made sense for the Huskies on their final play. Clearly, Lilley was thinking along the same lines, helping Oregon pull out a game that Washington seemed to have in hand a few different times.
"Our ability to come back and fight through that was so good for us," Lilley said. "It just really shows our willpower. We showed a lot of grittiness out there, which is good."
Then, they showed some exuberance with an abbreviated celebration. They were happy to pull out the win, but also aware that there's much work to be done the rest of the way.