Friday, December 29
Eugene, Ore.
3:00 PM
University of Oregon
12-2, 1-0
89
vs
56
Washington State
7-6, 0-1
1
2
3
4
F
Washington State
7
16
25
8
56
Oregon
20
21
28
20
89
Super Sophs Lead Ducks Past Cougs
12/29/17 | Women's Basketball
Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu scored 25 points apiece as Oregon opened Pac-12 play with an 89-56 win over WSU on Friday.
EUGENE — Oregon's sophomore 1-2 punch of Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu scored 25 points apiece as the No. 10 Ducks opened Pac-12 play in resounding fashion Friday, an 89-56 win over Washington State before 3,476 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (12-2) came into the game fourth in the country in three-point shooting at 42.1 percent, then shot just 2-of-15 in the first half Friday. But Hebard scored 16 of her 25 points in the first two quarters, and the UO women held WSU to 9-of-24 shooting in the first half to lead 42-23 at the break.
How It Happened: With WSU playing without its leading scorer, forward Borislava Hristova, the Cougars led just once, at 3-2. The Ducks then got stops on seven straight WSU possessions, parlaying that defensive intensity into a 14-0 run. Oregon freshman Satou Sabally had four steals during the run.
Oregon led 20-7 after one quarter, and the Cougars closed within 28-18 on a three-pointer by Louise Brown. Sabally's fifth steal of the first half led to a transition bucket for her at the other end, sparking a 13-5 run by the Ducks that gave them a 41-23 lead at halftime.
The Ducks maintained momentum after the break, and Ionescu's three-pointer put them up 53-30. Feeling comfortable with the big lead, Oregon let its intensity lapse defensively, and WSU shot 10-of-15 in the third quarter. But Ionescu made two more threes to end the quarter for a 69-48 lead, and the Ducks cruised through the fourth quarter.
Who Stood Out: Hebard scored her 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting, and added 10 rebounds. Her physicality in the lane set up several and-one opportunities. Ionescu had eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, and Lexi Bando added 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Maite Cazorla also dished out eight assists, and Sabally had 14 points to go along with her five steals.
What It Means: The Ducks opened Pac-12 play with their biggest win in conference play since an 85-52 victory over WSU in Eugene on Feb. 20, 2003. The Ducks won their conference opener for the first time since 2009-10, and handed head coach Kelly Graves his 499th career victory.
Quotable:
Head coach Kelly Graves
"I told the kids at halftime, I was really proud of them. We built a nice lead primarily off our defense. We didn't shoot the three well, and you're gonna have games like that. We were able to rely on our defense, and on Ruthy inside. I told the team, I think that's the sign of a maturing group. Even on a night when we're not shooting it like we usually do, we found a way to get it done."
"Satou continues to get better right in front of our eyes. She did some stuff tonight she hadn't done before. She's so long, for cryin' out loud. But she's just learning to anticipate better. And what's great about her, when she gets a steal, it usually turns into something at the other end."
Sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard
"I was really excited to start Pac-12 play, of course. I just wanted to get better inside, stay on balance and finish more."
Up Next: The Ducks host Washington in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
The Ducks (12-2) came into the game fourth in the country in three-point shooting at 42.1 percent, then shot just 2-of-15 in the first half Friday. But Hebard scored 16 of her 25 points in the first two quarters, and the UO women held WSU to 9-of-24 shooting in the first half to lead 42-23 at the break.
How It Happened: With WSU playing without its leading scorer, forward Borislava Hristova, the Cougars led just once, at 3-2. The Ducks then got stops on seven straight WSU possessions, parlaying that defensive intensity into a 14-0 run. Oregon freshman Satou Sabally had four steals during the run.
Oregon led 20-7 after one quarter, and the Cougars closed within 28-18 on a three-pointer by Louise Brown. Sabally's fifth steal of the first half led to a transition bucket for her at the other end, sparking a 13-5 run by the Ducks that gave them a 41-23 lead at halftime.
The Ducks maintained momentum after the break, and Ionescu's three-pointer put them up 53-30. Feeling comfortable with the big lead, Oregon let its intensity lapse defensively, and WSU shot 10-of-15 in the third quarter. But Ionescu made two more threes to end the quarter for a 69-48 lead, and the Ducks cruised through the fourth quarter.
Who Stood Out: Hebard scored her 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting, and added 10 rebounds. Her physicality in the lane set up several and-one opportunities. Ionescu had eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, and Lexi Bando added 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Maite Cazorla also dished out eight assists, and Sabally had 14 points to go along with her five steals.
What It Means: The Ducks opened Pac-12 play with their biggest win in conference play since an 85-52 victory over WSU in Eugene on Feb. 20, 2003. The Ducks won their conference opener for the first time since 2009-10, and handed head coach Kelly Graves his 499th career victory.
Quotable:
Head coach Kelly Graves
"I told the kids at halftime, I was really proud of them. We built a nice lead primarily off our defense. We didn't shoot the three well, and you're gonna have games like that. We were able to rely on our defense, and on Ruthy inside. I told the team, I think that's the sign of a maturing group. Even on a night when we're not shooting it like we usually do, we found a way to get it done."
"Satou continues to get better right in front of our eyes. She did some stuff tonight she hadn't done before. She's so long, for cryin' out loud. But she's just learning to anticipate better. And what's great about her, when she gets a steal, it usually turns into something at the other end."
Sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard
"I was really excited to start Pac-12 play, of course. I just wanted to get better inside, stay on balance and finish more."
Up Next: The Ducks host Washington in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
WSU
ORE
FG%
.426
.472
3FG%
.294
.323
FT%
.417
.647
RB
33
42
TO
18
9
STL
5
14
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
9
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
25
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
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
