Ducks Down Duke, Advance to Sweet 16

Monday, March 20

Durham, NC

3:30 PM

University of Oregon

22-13

Duke

28-6

Oregon

Duke

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

03/20/17 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score: Oregon 74, Duke 65 Postgame Quotes

No. 10 seed Oregon moves on to the first Sweet 16 in program history, on Saturday against Maryland.

By: Joe Waltasti

DURHAM, N.C. – For the first time in program history, the Oregon women's basketball team is moving on to the Sweet 16. Behind 20 points from freshman Ruthy Hebard, the Ducks knocked off No. 2 seed Duke, 74-65, on Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 10 seed Ducks will meet No. 3 seed Maryland on Saturday in Bridgeport, Conn.

""We didn't want it to be our last game," Hebard said. "We knew Duke was good. They made it this far and wejust wanted to come in and hopefully get another game. That's what we did."

HOW IT HAPPENED: Oregon owned a 19-14 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Maite Cazorla. The Ducks closed the first quarter on a 7-2 run to pull ahead.

Duke scored the first six points of the second quarter to take a 20-19 lead but Cazorla buried another three and the Ducks put together a 9-2 run to take a 28-22 lead with 5:27 left before halftime. Oregon went cold late in the second quarter but took a 31-26 lead into the break. Both Cazorla and Hebard had 10 points in the first half.

Duke cut into the Oregon lead to start the third but a 7-0 run by the Ducks gave them a nine-point lead with 6:11 left in the quarter. Oregon ended the third on another 7-0 run and had a double-digit lead going to the fourth, up 53-42.

Oregon kept pushing in the fourth. Duke was forced to call timeout following back-to-back threes by Lexi Bando and Cazorla made it 59-44 with 7:54 remaining. Duke then went on a 7-0 run before Bando hit another three to end it and put Oregon up, 62-51, with 5:28 left. Duke cut the Oregon lead to as little as five twice late in the fourth quarter but could never get closer than that as the Ducks won, 74-65.

As we fly back East for the #Sweet16, relive the win that got us here on this new episode of #TheScoop. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/YtoWETxuqF
— Oregon WBB (@OregonWBB) March 23, 2017

BOX SCORE: Hebard had her 11th double-double of the season with a team-high 20 points plus 15 rebounds. Bando started cold but hit four threes in the second half and finished with 14 points plus five assists. Cazorla fueled the Ducks early, hitting from the outside, and finished with 17 points and four three-pointers. Sabrina Ionescu tallied 13 points plus eight rebounds and six assists.

"We wanted to spread them out," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "... We wanted to play through the high post. We did that a lot and just spaced those shooters out; then they had to pick their poison. It's either one-on-one on Ruthy inside or they stay a little bit closer to the shooters. I thought our kids did a great job of kicking it out to the shooters and then making that extra pass."

STILL DANCING: This is Oregon's 13th NCAA Tournament appearance but the first time the Ducks have advanced beyond the opening weekend. Oregon won first-round games in 1987, 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2005 but had never won a second-round game. The Ducks are now 7-12 all-time in the tournament as they move on to the first Sweet 16 in program history.

"We're just super excited to be going to the Sweet Sixteen," Bando said. "It's just an awesome experience and we are going to give it our all."

TOP-25 WINS: The No. 9-ranked Blue Devils are the highest ranked team the Ducks have defeated in three seasons under head coach Kelly Graves. It is the eighth top-25 win for Oregon under Graves and the fifth this season alone.

GRAVES CONNECTION: Oregon is the first double-digit seed (No. 10) to reach the Sweet 16 since Gonzaga (No. 11) did it in 2015, the first year Graves was with the Ducks after leaving the 'Zags.