Saturday, February 22, 2020

Three Beautiful Things 02/21/20: Prepping Ahead of Time, Ducks Rout Cal, Stanford Holds off OSU

1. Christy wrote to me that peach pie pairs well with any meal. Good! Since Christy is bringing a peach pie she made and baked to family dinner on Sunday (02-23), I want to fix a dinner that prepares the way for such a delicious dessert. So, this morning I read menus, furrowed my brow, and made a decision. I will reveal my decision after we've had dinner, but, the good news for me is that by deciding today what to fix for Sunday, I could get dinner preparations underway -- and that's what I did tonight.

I started cooking. I'll continue on Saturday. I won't have to try to do all the cooking on Sunday. It's very possible, especially once the Kansas/Baylor game is over, that I'll get going on house cleaning on Saturday, too.

I'm stoked.

2. About a month ago, the Ducks women's basketball team routed Cal by 50 points. Tonight was their rematch and, unlike other Duck games, when I find reasons to get anxious ahead of time, I was not anxious tonight. Cal is a very young team. In a year or two they might be potent. Right now, they aren't. Cal had a few spurts of very good play tonight, but, on the whole, they were no match for the Ducks. Tonight the Ducks combined superb ball movement with exquisite and efficient shooting.

Sabrina Ionescu only took 9 shots, made 7 of them, and scored 17 points along with dishing out 11 assists and pulling down 11 rebounds. Her performance was so intricately woven into the effort of the whole team that it was barely noticeable that she achieved her 25th career triple double (no other player in college basketball, men's or women's, has come close to doing this). Ruthy Hebart was nearly unstoppable in the key, making 10 of her 13 shots for 20 points and yanked down 15 rebounds. Erin Boley continued her blazing shooting streak and jaw-droppingly converted 8 of her 9 attempts from beyond the three point line on her way to pouring in 24 points. 

It wasn't an exciting game as far as suspense -- Oregon won 93-61 --, but this game featured some of the best ball movement and some of the most scintillating sequences of offensive teamwork I've ever seen in any basketball game at any level.

I'll close with an inside joke:

Yes, Linda L., it was breathtaking!

(I don't need to tell Linda S. it was breathtaking. She watched these heart stopping moments and knows exactly what I'm talking about!)

3. To close out the evening, I did some cooking and I watched the second half of Oregon State's women's basketball game against Stanford. It's been a tough year for the Beavers, but, even in their losses, they've played everyone very tough. Tonight was no exception, but Stanford prevailed, 63-60.

Stanford and Oregon play on Monday. My hope is that the Ducks' Minyon Moore will defend Stanford's Kiana Williams so tight she will be able to tell what brand of gum Williams is chewing. Kiana Williams is a superb player with a knack for scoring clutch baskets in tight games.

I would think that at the very top of Oregon's game plan going into Monday's game will be a strategy to limit Kiana Williams' scoring.  The Ducks have also got to keep Stanford off the boards when Stanford has the ball.  Cardinal teams have always been tough on the offensive boards and that's true again this season.

It could be an epic game.

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