Feb. 13, 2010
EUGENE, Ore. - Despite shooting a season-best 64.6 percent, the Arizona State women's basketball team came up just short on Saturday, falling to the Oregon Ducks 82-81.
Danielle Orsillo (29 points) and Becca Tobin (20 points) both posted career highs in scoring for the Sun Devils (15-9, 7-6 Pac-10), who were playing without starting junior point guard Tenaya Watson for the second consecutive game (sprained foot).
Orsillo (9-13 FGs, 9-10 FTs) and Tobin (8-10 FGs, 4-4 FTs) combined to make 74 percent of their field goal attempts (17-23) and 93 percent of their free throws (13-14). For Orsillo, it was the second time in as many games that she set a new career high in scoring after a 26-point effort in ASU's win at Oregon State on Thursday.
Taylor Lilley (26 points) and Micaela Cocks (20 points) combined to score 46 points for the Ducks (16-8, 7-5 Pac-10), who snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Sun Devils.
The difference in the game came on the boards as the Sun Devils were outrebounded 35-27. Of greater importance was the 22-7 advantage Oregon held in offensive rebounds as the Ducks scored 31 second-chance points, compared to 12 to ASU.
Leading 44-43 after the first 20 minutes of play, the Sun Devils started the second half with a 14-4 run to take a 58-47 lead, the largest advantage enjoyed by either team in the game. Six different players were responsible for the seven field goals ASU made during its scoring run.
It would take the Ducks a little more than three minutes to erase the 11-point deficit and reclaim the lead as they went on a 12-0 run to go up 59-58 with 11:25 left in the game. Lilley personally accounted for seven points during the scoring run.
The two teams would engage in a see-saw battle for the next few minutes before the Ducks ran off eight points in 67 seconds to turn a one-point deficit into a 71-64 advantage with 5:46 left.
Orsillo made sure the game did not get out of hand as she responded with back-to-back 3-pointers of her own to bring ASU to within a single point, 71-70.
The Sun Devils had a chance to tie or reclaim the lead after Lilley missed the second of two free throws, however an offensive rebound off the missed free throw by Duck forward Jasmin Holliday led to a 3-pointer by teammate Amanda Johnson, giving Oregon a 75-70 lead.
A layup by Tobin cut the lead to 75-72 before Cocks hit Oregon's ninth 3-pointer of the afternoon to put the Ducks back up 78-72 with 51 seconds left.
Orsillo would quickly respond with a layup and a chance at a 3-point play. She missed the free throw, however senior Kayli Murphy came up with the offensive redound, who then found Tobin for a layup to get the Sun Devils with two points, 78-76 with 20 seconds remaining.
However that is as close as the Sun Devils would get until right before the final buzzer as Oregon made all six of its free throws in the final 15 seconds to close out the game.