Sunday, February 12
Eugene, OR
11:00 AM
University of Oregon
17-9, 7-7
73
vs
50
USC
13-12, 4-10
1
2
3
4
F
USC
6
10
15
19
50
Oregon
18
9
27
19
73
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Dominate To Complete Weekend Sweep
02/12/17 | Women's Basketball
Oregon led nearly wire-to-wire in beating USC, 73-50, on Sunday afternoon.
EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team completed a weekend sweep of the Los Angeles schools by beating Southern California, 73-50, on Sunday before 2,750 fans in Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks wrapped up a sweep of No. 15 UCLA and USC in which they trailed by just 21 seconds in the two games combined.
How It Happened: Those 21 seconds came early in Sunday's game, as the Ducks (17-9, 7-7 Pac-12) allowed USC to score the first basket of the game. Oregon responded with six straight points and then, after USC pulled within 6-4, ripped off a 12-0 run in which the Women of Troy (13-12, 4-10) went 6:04 without scoring and missed 10 straight shots.
That level of defense allowed Oregon to maintain a double-digit lead for all but 18 seconds of the final three quarters. The Ducks held USC to .322 shooting (19-of-59), including 4-of-20 from three-point range. Oregon's offense was supplied early on by the freshman trio of Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Mallory McGwire, who combined for 37 of the Ducks' first 41 points.
The early production by the freshmen helped Oregon take a 41-26 lead midway through the third quarter. After the Women of Troy scored on back-to-back possessions to get within 41-31, junior Lexi Bando scored to spark a 13-0 run by the Ducks to close out the quarter. In the fourth, Bando made a three-pointer for a 61-36 Oregon lead, the biggest of the day by the UO women.
Who Stood Out: Ionescu finished 8-of-11 overall and 4-of-5 from three-point range to score a game-high 22 points for the Ducks. She added 11 rebounds and six assists to finish the weekend with 33 points, 21 rebounds and 16 assists. McGwire had six points and five rebounds in the first quarter to spark the Ducks early, and finished with 12 points and eight boards. Hebard added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Bando finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
What It Means: The Ducks completed a sweep of the Los Angeles schools for the weekend, solidifying their case as a legitimate NCAA Tournament team — assuming they continue to take care of business the last two weeks of the regular season.
Quotable:
Kelly Graves, head coach
On completing the weekend sweep
"I'm really pleased. It was a great weekend. … We can't just settle for winning the game. We want to play as well as we can. There are obviously lots of things to improve on, but overall this was an amazing weekend, and a great day today."
On the lack of a letdown after Friday
"With a young team, I think it gives these guys confidence, and keeps them hungry. We've kept our eyes on a prize in the future, and known that each game leads toward that end. I really like where we're at, physically and mentally."
Sabrina Ionescu, freshman guard
On building momentum from Friday
"We just have to keep building. We can't take any game for granted. They just beat Oregon State by 20. So I think this is good for us. We have to continue to get better every game, and I feel like we are continuing to get better every game."
Notable: The Ducks swept the L.A. schools at home for the second time in three seasons under Graves. … Ionescu's double-double was her seventh of the season. … UO senior Jacinta Vandenberg, who missed a game for the first time this season Friday, entered Sunday in the second quarter. … The athletic department provided around 100 tickets for participants in Special Olympics to attend Sunday's game.
Up Next: The Ducks go on the road for the final time in the regular season, to play at Utah on Friday (5 p.m., Pac-12).
How It Happened: Those 21 seconds came early in Sunday's game, as the Ducks (17-9, 7-7 Pac-12) allowed USC to score the first basket of the game. Oregon responded with six straight points and then, after USC pulled within 6-4, ripped off a 12-0 run in which the Women of Troy (13-12, 4-10) went 6:04 without scoring and missed 10 straight shots.
That level of defense allowed Oregon to maintain a double-digit lead for all but 18 seconds of the final three quarters. The Ducks held USC to .322 shooting (19-of-59), including 4-of-20 from three-point range. Oregon's offense was supplied early on by the freshman trio of Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Mallory McGwire, who combined for 37 of the Ducks' first 41 points.
The early production by the freshmen helped Oregon take a 41-26 lead midway through the third quarter. After the Women of Troy scored on back-to-back possessions to get within 41-31, junior Lexi Bando scored to spark a 13-0 run by the Ducks to close out the quarter. In the fourth, Bando made a three-pointer for a 61-36 Oregon lead, the biggest of the day by the UO women.
Who Stood Out: Ionescu finished 8-of-11 overall and 4-of-5 from three-point range to score a game-high 22 points for the Ducks. She added 11 rebounds and six assists to finish the weekend with 33 points, 21 rebounds and 16 assists. McGwire had six points and five rebounds in the first quarter to spark the Ducks early, and finished with 12 points and eight boards. Hebard added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Bando finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
What It Means: The Ducks completed a sweep of the Los Angeles schools for the weekend, solidifying their case as a legitimate NCAA Tournament team — assuming they continue to take care of business the last two weeks of the regular season.
Quotable:
Kelly Graves, head coach
On completing the weekend sweep
"I'm really pleased. It was a great weekend. … We can't just settle for winning the game. We want to play as well as we can. There are obviously lots of things to improve on, but overall this was an amazing weekend, and a great day today."
On the lack of a letdown after Friday
"With a young team, I think it gives these guys confidence, and keeps them hungry. We've kept our eyes on a prize in the future, and known that each game leads toward that end. I really like where we're at, physically and mentally."
Sabrina Ionescu, freshman guard
On building momentum from Friday
"We just have to keep building. We can't take any game for granted. They just beat Oregon State by 20. So I think this is good for us. We have to continue to get better every game, and I feel like we are continuing to get better every game."
Notable: The Ducks swept the L.A. schools at home for the second time in three seasons under Graves. … Ionescu's double-double was her seventh of the season. … UO senior Jacinta Vandenberg, who missed a game for the first time this season Friday, entered Sunday in the second quarter. … The athletic department provided around 100 tickets for participants in Special Olympics to attend Sunday's game.
Up Next: The Ducks go on the road for the final time in the regular season, to play at Utah on Friday (5 p.m., Pac-12).
Team Stats
USC
ORE
FG%
.322
.509
3FG%
.200
.438
FT%
.800
.857
RB
25
40
TO
14
18
STL
9
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ 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
