Sunday, March 18
Eugene, Ore.
7:30 PM
University of Oregon
32-4
101
vs
73
Minnesota
24-9
1
2
3
4
F
Minnesota
22
14
14
23
73
Oregon
30
21
31
19
101
Photo by: Eric Evans Photography
Oh, So Sweet! Ducks Advance To Second Straight Sweet Sixteen
03/18/18 | Women's Basketball
The Oregon women's basketball team beat Minnesota on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will play a third-round game Saturday in Spokane.
EUGENE, Ore. — At this point in 2016, the Oregon women's basketball program had never made a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu were still seniors in high school.
Two years later, the Class of '16 is headed back to its second straight Sweet Sixteen. And the Ducks are flashing the potential to do much more than that over the next two weeks.
The UO women moved on to an NCAA Tournament third-round game next weekend in Spokane by outrunning and outgunning 10th-seeded Minnesota on Sunday, 101-73. Darlings of the 2017 tournament for making the Elite Eight with a freshman-laden roster, the Ducks aren't sneaking up on anybody this time around.
"I will be shocked if they're not playing in the Final Four," Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings said after watching the Ducks put up 30 points in two different quarters Sunday. "They were rolling on all cylinders."
Sunday's second-round game matched two of the top-10 scoring offenses in the nation. The Ducks and Gophers took turns throwing haymakers at each other from the opening bell, with Oregon leading 21-16 before the first media timeout. But with Ionescu stoking the Ducks' competitive fire, the UO women blew the game open with a 10-0 run to close out the second half, capped by a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer by Ionescu, while she was being fouled.
"It starts at the top," UO coach Kelly Graves said of the Pac-12 player of the year. "When Sabrina's locked in, everybody else follows."
Two days after her NCAA-record 10th career triple-double, Ionescu flirted with another Sunday. She finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, with three steals. Hebard added 22 points with 10 rebounds, and freshman Satou Sabally scored 12 while grabbing six boards. Senior Lexi Bando capped a phenomenal career in Matthew Knight Arena with 11 points, and Maite Cazorla had seven points, six assists and five rebounds.
That balance, and the way Oregon moved the ball — the Ducks had 27 assists on 39 baskets — prompted Stollings to compare their offensive efficiency with none other than UConn. She also became the second UO opponent in this year's tournament, following Seattle's Suzy Barcomb on Friday, to label Oregon a likely Final Four team.
"They're the only team we've played all season that has their starting five averaging in double digits," Stollings said. "So it's really hard to key on one or two areas — or three areas."
The next team that will try to do so will be either Ohio State or Central Michigan, who meet Monday for the right to face Oregon in Spokane on Saturday. The winner will move on to the regional final, for a trip to the Final Four.
The Ducks were one step away from college basketball's final weekend a year ago, surprisingly so. This year, it seems nobody will surprised if the Ducks are still playing come late March in Columbus, Ohio.
"Last year we were just there for the ride, enjoying it," Graves said. "Hopefully we're still enjoying it, but it's different. A little added pressure, added expectations externally. But it's incredible, what this group has done in two seasons. …
"All I know is, we've won two and we have a chance to win a third. (But) yeah, I think we're a talented team, and we're really starting to put it together."
Both teams Sunday were clicking from the outset. Sabally scored on Oregon's first two possessions, but Minnesota got hot from three-point range to stay within 21-16 at the first official timeout. Destiny Pitts' third three-pointer of the quarter kept the Gophers within 25-22, and it looked like the quarter would end on that score when the Ducks seemed confused about what Graves wanted to them to run on their final possession.
In an early hint at the kind of night she was having, Ionescu took matters into her own hands. Confusion reigning around her, Ionescu broke down Minnesota's perimeter defense and slashed to the basket for a buzzer-beating and-one.
Whether it was that shot or her three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer, Ionescu made scoring look easy Sunday.
"It didn't seem easy; it definitely didn't feel easy," she said. "They were a great team. They shot the ball as well as anyone we've played this year."
That was true for much of the first half. But late in the second quarter, the Gophers began struggling to keep up. It was 41-34 entering a timeout with 4:26 left in the half, when Graves put a challenge to his team — whichever side could get a three-minute stretch of defensive stops would win the game.
Minnesota got a basket from Pitts to get within 41-36. But the Ducks didn't let them score again in the quarter, closing out the half on a 10-0 run that included a Cazorla three-pointer and then Ionescu's heave at the buzzer, over a Gophers post player who had strayed out to the perimeter.
By late in the fourth quarter, the Ducks were in position to hold the Gophers to their lowest point total of the season, which was 69. It took Minnesota scoring the game's final 10 points to avoid that fate.
"I thought when we needed to play good defense, we did," said Graves, who for the second time in two games was able to get liberal minutes for his bench, conserving the regulars' energy for a long tournament run. "If we can continue to defend, and play offensively like we are, who knows?"
Who knows? The opposing coaches who faced Oregon in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament think they know. They look at the Ducks and see a Final Four team. An upcoming weekend in Spokane will provide the proof.
Two years later, the Class of '16 is headed back to its second straight Sweet Sixteen. And the Ducks are flashing the potential to do much more than that over the next two weeks.
The UO women moved on to an NCAA Tournament third-round game next weekend in Spokane by outrunning and outgunning 10th-seeded Minnesota on Sunday, 101-73. Darlings of the 2017 tournament for making the Elite Eight with a freshman-laden roster, the Ducks aren't sneaking up on anybody this time around.
"I will be shocked if they're not playing in the Final Four," Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings said after watching the Ducks put up 30 points in two different quarters Sunday. "They were rolling on all cylinders."
Sunday's second-round game matched two of the top-10 scoring offenses in the nation. The Ducks and Gophers took turns throwing haymakers at each other from the opening bell, with Oregon leading 21-16 before the first media timeout. But with Ionescu stoking the Ducks' competitive fire, the UO women blew the game open with a 10-0 run to close out the second half, capped by a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer by Ionescu, while she was being fouled.
"It starts at the top," UO coach Kelly Graves said of the Pac-12 player of the year. "When Sabrina's locked in, everybody else follows."
Two days after her NCAA-record 10th career triple-double, Ionescu flirted with another Sunday. She finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, with three steals. Hebard added 22 points with 10 rebounds, and freshman Satou Sabally scored 12 while grabbing six boards. Senior Lexi Bando capped a phenomenal career in Matthew Knight Arena with 11 points, and Maite Cazorla had seven points, six assists and five rebounds.
That balance, and the way Oregon moved the ball — the Ducks had 27 assists on 39 baskets — prompted Stollings to compare their offensive efficiency with none other than UConn. She also became the second UO opponent in this year's tournament, following Seattle's Suzy Barcomb on Friday, to label Oregon a likely Final Four team.
"They're the only team we've played all season that has their starting five averaging in double digits," Stollings said. "So it's really hard to key on one or two areas — or three areas."
The next team that will try to do so will be either Ohio State or Central Michigan, who meet Monday for the right to face Oregon in Spokane on Saturday. The winner will move on to the regional final, for a trip to the Final Four.
The Ducks were one step away from college basketball's final weekend a year ago, surprisingly so. This year, it seems nobody will surprised if the Ducks are still playing come late March in Columbus, Ohio.
"Last year we were just there for the ride, enjoying it," Graves said. "Hopefully we're still enjoying it, but it's different. A little added pressure, added expectations externally. But it's incredible, what this group has done in two seasons. …
"All I know is, we've won two and we have a chance to win a third. (But) yeah, I think we're a talented team, and we're really starting to put it together."
Both teams Sunday were clicking from the outset. Sabally scored on Oregon's first two possessions, but Minnesota got hot from three-point range to stay within 21-16 at the first official timeout. Destiny Pitts' third three-pointer of the quarter kept the Gophers within 25-22, and it looked like the quarter would end on that score when the Ducks seemed confused about what Graves wanted to them to run on their final possession.
In an early hint at the kind of night she was having, Ionescu took matters into her own hands. Confusion reigning around her, Ionescu broke down Minnesota's perimeter defense and slashed to the basket for a buzzer-beating and-one.
Whether it was that shot or her three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer, Ionescu made scoring look easy Sunday.
"It didn't seem easy; it definitely didn't feel easy," she said. "They were a great team. They shot the ball as well as anyone we've played this year."
That was true for much of the first half. But late in the second quarter, the Gophers began struggling to keep up. It was 41-34 entering a timeout with 4:26 left in the half, when Graves put a challenge to his team — whichever side could get a three-minute stretch of defensive stops would win the game.
Minnesota got a basket from Pitts to get within 41-36. But the Ducks didn't let them score again in the quarter, closing out the half on a 10-0 run that included a Cazorla three-pointer and then Ionescu's heave at the buzzer, over a Gophers post player who had strayed out to the perimeter.
By late in the fourth quarter, the Ducks were in position to hold the Gophers to their lowest point total of the season, which was 69. It took Minnesota scoring the game's final 10 points to avoid that fate.
"I thought when we needed to play good defense, we did," said Graves, who for the second time in two games was able to get liberal minutes for his bench, conserving the regulars' energy for a long tournament run. "If we can continue to defend, and play offensively like we are, who knows?"
Who knows? The opposing coaches who faced Oregon in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament think they know. They look at the Ducks and see a Final Four team. An upcoming weekend in Spokane will provide the proof.
Team Stats
MINN
ORE
FG%
.424
.609
3FG%
.429
.500
FT%
.625
.706
RB
21
42
TO
9
11
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
10
3FGM
4
FTM
5
Pts
22
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballKelly Graves | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Deja Kelly, Peyton Scott & Phillipina Kyei | Selection Sunday
Monday, March 17
Peyton Scott & Ari Long: "A good, competitive basketball game."
Thursday, February 27
Kelly Graves: "We've played really well."
Thursday, February 27
