Portland Trail Blazers guard Andre Miller handled the ball on the left wing, surveyed the area, then made his move. He slipped between two cemented Toronto Raptors in dazzling fashion, dribbling the ball between his legs, then confused the three others with a show-and-go before passing off to Dante Cunningham. The Rose Garden crowd oohed and awed at Miller’s display, and then cheered as Cunningham dished to Nicolas Batum, who completed the sequence by draining a three-pointer from the right baseline for his 18th, 19th, and 20th points. The culmination of this possession sent the sellout crowd out of their seats and put Portland ahead by 21, 90-69, late in the fourth quarter. In these five seconds everything clicked for the Blazers. While the trio made it look downright simple on this play, the home team was far from perfect against the lowly Raptors.
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Early on, the Oregon Ducks had a difficult time moving the ball against an aggressive Washington Huskies defense.
The top-ranked Ducks failed to score until Rob Beard’s field goal in the second quarter.
The expected rout wasn't happening, the Autzen stadium crowd was nervous, and the Huskies were motivated. Number one ranked teams have gone down multiple times this season. Would Oregon be the next?
No.
Two touchdowns in that second quarter steered the Ducks on the right track, and though Washington hung around into the third period, the top team in the land played as they are accustomed, turning on the afterburners to transform a scare into a 53-16 blowout.
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A few weeks ago, I wondered what would keep the Beavers from fulfilling their potential.
Meet Christen Press: In any otherwise even match, Press created two goals out of nowhere to give No. 1 Stanford a 1-0 win over 13th-ranked OSU.
Defense
The big question was whether or not OSU's physical defense would be enough to stop Stanford's high-scoring offense. And it was, except for about thirty seconds over the course of the match.
Barely into the third minute of the game, Stanford's Rachel Quon sent a cross into the box from the right side. Press, high in the box and still on the right side, took the cross on the volley inches above the turf, redirecting it with her right foot into the far left corner of the net, past a diving Colleen Boyd. Coming out of nowhere and so early, it was a shocking moment for the Beavers, who hadn't been scored on in the previous six games.
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The Oregon Ducks attempt to keep their undefeated season alive as they welcome the Washington Huskies into Autzen Stadium today. The Ducks have defeated every opponent this season by double-digits, and that should continue against a struggling team missing its prized starting quarterback.
A closer look at the Huskies
Washington, 3-5, will be without Jake Locker, their versatile leader behind center, who broke his rib in a 41-0 defeat to Stanford. Locker hasn’t had the season he was hoping for when he passed on entering the NFL Draft last spring, but his presence will still be missed. He has thrown for nearly 1,700 yards and has 14 touchdowns to six interceptions, and was coming on strong before performing poorly against the Cardinal. Instead, redshirt freshman Keith Price will be thrust into action.
Breaking in a quarterback in such a hostile environment only adds to the odds Washington faces. Price has the tools and demeanor to thrive, but, lacking experience, it could be a rough day against a fast and swarming Oregon defense. If he does succeed -- and he certainly has the athleticism to do so -- running back Chris Polk will have to as well in order to pull off the monumental upset.
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It was a bad day for the Portland Trail Blazers.
We first learned that rookie guard Elliot Williams will miss the season with a dislocated right patella, an injury the team knows far too well.
A short time later, we learned that Fabricio Oberto, who was signed because other knee injuries depleted the frontline, was forced to retire due to a recurring heart condition.
And, with an important game against the Oklahoma City Thunder approaching, the late Maurice Lucas was in the thoughts of so many. Safe to say, Portland needed a pick-me-up in front of the Rose Garden crowd.
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