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Griffith heads home to face Oregon schools

When the No. 15 UA women's basketball team head to the Pacific Northwest to face Oregon and Oregon State this weekend, senior guard Lisa Griffith will be making her final homecoming as a Wildcat.

Griffith, from Portland, Ore., said besides going home, her team is looking forward to taking on the Ducks, who have been successful in Pacific 10 Conference play thus far.

"I am excited because this is going to be the last time I play in Oregon, so I should have friends and family there," Griffith said. "If we establish a high-paced game, we can run up the score a little bit. I think we are ready for this game because we play really well on the road. We're really focused."

Last weekend, Oregon downed UCLA at Pauley Pavillion, giving the Bruins their first conference loss, after losing to Southern California on a buzzer beater. The Ducks are currently tied with the Wildcats and Stanford with a 5-2 record for second in the Pac-10.

"It's going to be a good challenge because from here on out, we need to win every game to get to one of our team goals, which is the Pac-10 title," senior guard Felecity Willis said. "Playing in Eugene is certainly going to be a huge obstacle, but if we are able to pull together, then we'll have a very good chance with coming out with a win."

UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said that in order to beat Oregon, which is riding a 19-game home winning streak, the Wildcats need to utilize their deep bench and keep their opponents running.

"We want to get an up-tempo game, and in order to do that we need to be aggressive," Bonvicini said. "But what Oregon wants to do is to slow you down. So, what we're going to see is a contrast in styles."

The Wildcats travel from Eugene to Corvallis, Ore. on Sunday to take on Oregon State, but are trying not to overlook the Beavers, despite their 8-11 overall record (4-3 Pac-10).

"We have to have a similar intensity with Oregon State as we do with Oregon because you can't just get ready for Oregon and forget about Oregon State, because that is how you lose," Griffith said. "You've got to win the ones you are not supposed to win, and then, win the ones that you are supposed to win."