Oregon slips by Houston in women's NIT title game

Defense, they say, wins championships.

The Oregon women's basketball team played defense Wednesday night and won a championship -- a national championship.

Sophomore forward Cathrine Kraayeveld scored a finger-roll lay-in with 2.4 seconds left to give the Ducks a 54-52 victory over Houston in the title game of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.

Despite shooting 25.8 percent in the second half, Oregon held Houston (26-8) to their lowest point total of the year and just 33.8 percent shooting in front of a season-high 6,835 fans at McArthur Court.

"I think the game was typical of our season," Oregon first-year head coach Bev Smith said. "We had to keep fighting our way back. Defensively, we were there and we kept them to their lowest point total of the season, but offensively we were out of sync and that's a credit to them. They are very athletic."

Kraayeveld, the tournament MVP who began the season on the bench, paced the Ducks with her fifth straight double-double, scoring 15 points (all in the second half) and grabbing 13 rebounds.

"I wasn't even thinking about (it being a game-winning shot)," Kraayeveld said. "I just took it to the hole, because that's the only thing I thought would work."

Houston broke away from a 27-27 halftime tie to take a 43-35 lead midway through the second half. Oregon star guard Shaquala Williams and Kraayeveld -- the Ducks' leading scorers -- were held scoreless in the first half, but Kraayeveld scored eight points in 10-2 run that knotted the game at 45.

"I wouldn't say that we celebrated early, we just came back out sluggish," said Houston's Chandi Jones, who had a game-high 16 points. "We didn't make the shots we should have, we didn't rebound like we should have."

Senior sharpshooter Jamie Craighead nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Ducks a 51-50 lead with 1:20 left. Craighead pushed the lead to two with a free throw with 48 seconds remaining.

Houston answered with a basket by Valerie Muoneke with 32 seconds left, setting up a potential game-winner by Craighead. Her shot missed a was deflected out of bounds off Houston.

Oregon then ran down the clock, when Williams found Kraayeveld at the free-throw line. The 6-foot-3 Kraayeveld then cut through an open lane for the score.

"Cathrine is a sophomore and began the season inexperienced, but now she's playing like a veteran," Smith said. "She made the play based on what the defense gave her."

Williams, an all-Pac-10 selection, finished the game 1-for-13 (including 1-for-11 from three-point range) and just three points.

After eight straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Ducks claimed their first WNIT title. Oregon won the National Women's Invitation Tournament in 1989.

"Every year I've been here, I've had the opportunity to cut down the nets," Williams said. "Even though it's not the Pac-10 or NCAA, it's still a championship."

Oregon outrebounded Houston 47-45. Senior guard Edniesha Curry was the only other Duck to score in double figures, as she added 11 points. The Ducks shot just 30.2 percent overall against Houston.

To advance to the WNIT championship game, Oregon defeated St. Mary's in the first round at Mac Court.

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