Ducks Come Of Age To Advance In Seattle

Thursday, March 2

Seattle, WA

8:30 PM

University of Oregon

19-12, 8-10

Arizona

14-16, 5-13

Arizona

Oregon

03/02/17 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Oregon's freshmen fueled a comeback win over Arizona, moving the Ducks into Friday's Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals.

By: Rob Moseley

SEATTLE — The Oregon women's basketball team used a gritty second-half comeback to beat Arizona, 70-63, in KeyArena on Thursday in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, ending the Ducks' eight-game losing streak in the tournament. The sixth-seeded Ducks moved on to face Washington on Friday in the quarterfinals.

How It Happened: The Ducks (19-12) trailed by as much as seven, midway through the third quarter, before fighting their way back on the strength of their sterling freshman class. Conference freshman of the year Sabrina Ionescu set the tone, scoring to get Oregon back within 40-35 and then forcing a turnover at the other end on a tie-up.

"I didn't want to lose this game," said Ionescu, who led the Ducks with 22 points and five assists. "I was like I've got to do something to pump up the team, and I think that's where that tie-up came in. From that moment, we just continued to build, and that's what it usually takes — just one play to hype everyone up and help everyone believe."

The Wildcats (14-16) fought back into another seven-point lead at 44-37. But from there, the Ducks outscored them 33-19 over the final few minutes of the third quarter and the fourth. Of those 33 points, all but two were scored by freshmen, with Ruthy Hebard adding 21 points and Mallory McGwire scoring 14.

It was 46-43 Arizona when — who else? — Ionescu finally tied it with a three-pointer early in the fourth. Arizona last led at 50-48, when the Ducks used an 8-0 run to take the lead for good, with McGwire scoring on back-to-back trips for a 54-50 lead. Down the stretch, Hebard, McGwire and Ionescu all made free throws to lock it up.

Arizona took its first lead of the game early in the second quarter, 18-15 after Lucia Alonso's second three-pointer in three possessions. The Ducks fought back into a 21-18 lead fueled by three points from Lexi Bando, but Arizona answered with six straight for a 24-21 advantage. Ruthy Hebard scored to put Oregon up 27-25 late in the period, but the Ducks turned it over on their final four trips before halftime and the Wildcats led 29-27 at the break.

Oregon started hot, scoring the first seven points of the game and going up 10-1 on Sabrina Ionescu's second three-pointer of the opening minutes. Hebard converted a three-point play to make it 13-5, at which point Arizona mounted its own 7-0 run fueled by back-to-back baskets from Labrittney Jones.

Who Stood Out: Ionescu's 22 points came on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Hebard had her 10th double-double of the season and second against Arizona, with 21 points and 12 rebounds. McGwire made 6-of-10 attempts for her 14 points.

What It Means: The Ducks ended their recent Pac-12 Tournament jinx, and provided more support for their case for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Quotable:
Kelly Graves, head coach
To the team in the locker room
"We showed a lot of poise in the mid-third and fourth quarter. I'm really proud of you. That was a heck of a win. We showed some resilience."

Notable: Oregon improved to 5-15 all-time in the Pac-12 tournament, and ended an eight-game losing streak. … The Ducks' last tournament win was over Washington State in 2008. … The UO women now will try and win multiple games for the first time since the inaugural conference tournament in 2002, played at Eugene's McArthur Court.

Up Next: The Ducks face third-seeded Washington in the last of Friday's quarterfinals (8:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network).