As Oregon’s Lexi Petersen stood at the foul line sizing up a second free throw last Thursday night, a crystal-clear baritone voice crackled through the church-like silence of Matthew Knight Arena.
“Watch out for the over-the-back on Utah, ref,” it implored, drawing a wry smile from behind at least one whistle.
On Monday, the Ducks should expect something more cacophonous than conversational when they tip off against UTEP in a WNIT quarterfinal game at the Don Haskins Center at 6 p.m.
Oregon (23-10) finds itself in El Paso, Texas, after playing at home three times because seven of the eight third-round WNIT games had a combined attendance of 8,907, or an average of 1,272. The Ducks welcomed 1,165 for their 73-63 win over the Utes.
That eighth game, TCU’s visit to UTEP, drew 7,024.
Pack your bags, Oregon, and your sunscreen. Monday’s forecast: 82 degrees, and it might be hotter still inside the arena.
“No question our crowd was fantastic,” Miners coach Keitha Adams told the El Paso Times after her team’s 79-71 victory over the Horned Frogs on Friday night. “They got loud. Our players are loving having this atmosphere.
“I’m proud of our team, I’m proud of El Paso.”
According to the WNIT website, first-round games require a $6,500 guarantee for a school to host; that goes to $7,500 for the second round. The tournament “helps offset those costs” and “teams pay no more than $10,000 combined for all their road games.”
UTEP wouldn’t know about that last part. It’s about to play its 10th game in two WNIT appearances, and all 10 have been at home.
In short, the Miners (29-4) have struck gold in their own back yard. Again.
Two years ago, a pair of Pac-12 teams, Colorado and Washington, saw their seasons wither in El Paso before crowds of 8,234 and 10,227, respectively. UTEP then sold out the 12,222-seat Haskins Center for the semifinals and finals, losing to Rutgers for the 2014 title.
Now the Miners are at it again. After stumbling in the Conference USA tournament and being snubbed by the NCAA selection committee despite winning the regular-season title, they’ve landed back in the WNIT’s loving embrace.
Meanwhile, Oregon is doing its best not to notice or care that UTEP is a school-record 19-0 at home and one step away from another Miner mark -- a 30-win season.
“UTEP always draws well,” UO coach Kelly Graves said. “I think our kids are excited to play anywhere.”
Before the tournament, Graves pointed to UCLA’s run to the 2015 WNIT championship, a springboard to this year’s NCAA Tournament berth for the Bruins that carried to the Sweet 16, as a model for his Ducks.
After beating Utah to reach the halfway point of that first goal, Graves struck a tone similar to a football coach’s perspective on the inherent advantages of a second-tier bowl bid.
“Young kids are getting valuable minutes and they’re producing,” he said. “Just for their psyche and for the offseason inspiration, it can be big for them.
“This is a valuable experience for us and on top of that, we’re winning and having some success.”
That’s especially true from the three-point line, where the Ducks are 36 of 69 (52.2 percent) in their three WNIT wins and lead the nation at 41.9 percent on the season. By contrast, the Miners shoot just 26.0 percent from long range, but they’re also holding opponents to 27.4 percent.
TCU, sixth-best in the nation from beyond the arc, averaged eight threes in 19 attempts per game before facing UTEP. The Horned Frogs finished 4 of 14 (28.6 percent) in their final loss.
Are the senior-dominated Miners that tough? Three players have had their noses broken this season and, with two wearing black protective masks against TCU, the trio accounted for 61 of UTEP’s 79 points, led by guard Starr Breedlove, a redshirt senior transfer from Louisville, with 21.
Monday’s winner will meet South Dakota in one WNIT semifinal either Wednesday or Thursday at a campus site to be determined. The title game will be played at 3 p.m. Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment