Crank back in lineup; Oregon here tonight

Less than a week and a half ago, the sophomore guard suffered a broken nose and looked doubtful for the UCLA-USC road trip. Her return is good news for the Wildcats, who play Oregon tonight at 7 at McKale Center.

Crank pushed the pain, and the irritating facial mask and the rival crowd's gestures, to the side and joined her teammates in Los Angeles anyway. She couldn't even see below her own waist, but came off of the bench in Friday's UCLA game for 11 points and four assists.

"Me personally, I didn't think that I played that well," Crank said. That is where she is alone.

"She's just tough," fellow guard Lisa Griffith said. "She stripped this girl right around the foul line, and the ball was laying at her feet, but she couldn't find it. It was actually pretty funny, but I looked up to her so much for being out there."

"She's a tough kid, this whole team is," UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "The way they played over the weekend, it was amazing. I was really proud."

Crank will play maskless tonight and no one is happier about it than her.

"It was so uncomfortable," Crank said. "I'm just glad that I don't have to wear it. They (doctors) are still stressing, 'don't get hit in the nose,' though."

"Everything is great," team trainer M.B. Iliria said. "The way sports are, you never know if it will get hit again, but we are happy with her recovery so far."

With Crank's help, Arizona swept the LA schools for the first time ever. The team's six-game conference win streak is ground-breaking as well.

"We can't get ahead of ourselves," junior Mikko Giordano said. "We still have six more games and those are as important, if not more."

For Arizona (19-4, 9-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference) first place in the conference depends on if third-ranked Stanford (13-0 in the conference) collapses, which is unlikely considering that the Cardinal have won 40-straight conference games.

"We are shooting for second-place. I seriously doubt Stanford is going to fall apart," Bonvicini said. "We are in a good position right now. We can gain ground tonight."

Oregon trails the Wildcats by a game in the standings. With only three Pac-10 teams making the tournament last season, the importance is clear.

"Arizona has a swarming defense," Oregon head coach Judy Runge said. "As a coach, there are games that you expect to win, all home games for example. Arizona isn't in the category. So we are going to have to be near-perfect."

Oregon nearly upset Stanford on Saturday, losing 69-66. The Ducks are led by senior forward Adrianne Boyer - who's averaging 15.0 points and 8.8 rebounds - and centers Renea Fegent and Jenny Mowe, who are both over 6-foot-3 inches.

Arizona has combated height with quickness all season. The Wildcats are creating 26 turnovers a game.

"I'm not so much worried about Arizona's press as I am about us not getting back in transition," Runge said. "They like to run and I don't want to see Adia Barnes get layup after layup."

Barnes, a junior forward, has 11 double-doubles this season and is shooting nearly 54 percent from the floor.

On the perimeter, Griffith's 62 three-pointers are a conference best.