Photo by: Eric Evans Photography/ University of Oregon
Ionescu Named Pac-12 Player Of The Year, Sabally Honored As Top Freshman
02/27/18 | Women's Basketball
Sabrina Ionescu has been named Pac-12 player of the year, and Satou Sabally is the freshman of the year, the conference announced Tuesday.
EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon sophomore guard Sabrina Ionescu has been named the Pac-12 player of the year, and her teammate Satou Sabally was named freshman of the year, the conference announced on Tuesday during its awards show on Pac-12 Networks.
Ionescu is the third player in program history to be named Pac-12 player of the year, joining Shaquala Williams, who won in 1999-2000, and Lauri Landerholm, who won in 1986-87, the first year the Pac-12 handed out the award.
"Sabrina sets the tone for us," said head coach Kelly Graves. "Her consistency, competitiveness and willingness to take the big shot are unmatched. She's the engine that makes us go."
The season-ending conference award winners were selected by vote of the Pac-12's head coaches. Stanford's Tara VanDerveer was named coach of the year.
After winning Pac-12 freshman of the year honors last season, Ionescu joins Washington's Kelsey Plum, Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike, and Stanford's Jayne Appel as players in the last 10 years to win both the league's freshman and player of the year honors. Williams also won both for the Ducks, taking freshman of the year honors in 1998-99 before being named player of the year the following season. Ionescu is the league's first sophomore to win player of the year since Stanford's Candice Wiggins did it in 2004-05.
Ionescu leads the Pac-12 with both 19.2 points per game and 7.8 assists per game. She is ranked 16th in the conference in rebounding, grabbing 6.7 per game. With 242 assists entering this week's Pac-12 Tournament, Ionescu has already shattered the UO single-season assists record of 209, set by Corrie Mizusawa in 2004-05. The guard matched the UO single-game assists record twice this year, with 14 helpers in a win over Weber State on Dec. 2 and 14 more in a win over Ole Miss on Dec. 17.
She is second in the Pac-12, behind only teammate Lexi Bando, with a 44.3 three-point percentage and has 12 double-doubles, good for third in the conference. Ionescu's 595 total points this season are the most in the conference and she became only the third player in UO history to reach 1,000 career points as a sophomore. Ionescu had a career-high 35 points in an overtime loss at Oregon State on Jan. 19. She hit a game-tying three-pointer with just seconds remaining to force extra time.
Ionescu made history this season when she posted her eighth career triple-double, with 24 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, on Dec. 31 against Washington. The triple-double broke the NCAA career record of seven, coming in just her 48th career collegiate game. Ionescu then tallied her ninth career triple-double on Jan. 28 at Utah with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. She had back-to-back games with triple-doubles this season, with one on Nov. 12 against Drake and another on Nov. 16 at No. 19 Texas A&M. After posting four last year as a freshman, she has five triple-doubles this season. The Ducks have won all nine games when Ionescu has tallied a triple-double.Â
Sabally is the second-straight conference freshman of the year for the Ducks, after Ionescu won last season. Sabally is the third all-time at Oregon to win it, as Williams also won in 1998-99. Sabally, a native of Berlin, Germany, is the third international player to be named Pac-12 freshman of the year, joining Washington State's Alke Dietel (Germany) and Oregon State's Tanja Kostic (Sweden).
"Even with a lot of talented players returning from last season, Satou worked into the starting lineup with her great skill and versatility," Graves said. "She is a matchup advantage for us each and every game, with her ability to play inside and outside. Her potential is off the charts."
Sabally averaged 10.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while appearing in all 31 of the Ducks' regular season games with 22 starts. Sabally made her first career start on Dec. 2 against Weber State. Three games later, against Ole Miss on Dec. 17, Sabally was back in the starting lineup for good, starting Oregon's last 21 games. The 6-foot-4 forward saved her best for the last week of the regular season, scoring 25 points and hitting 7-of-9 three-pointers in an overtime win versus No. 10 UCLA on Feb. 19. Sabally also had 21 points against No. 18 Oregon State on Jan. 21 and 22 points against Weber State in her first career start.
Sabally leads all freshmen in the Pac-12 in scoring (10.9 points per game) and field goal percentage (46.7 percent). Her seven three-pointers against UCLA is tied for the second-most by any Pac-12 player in a game this year.
The No. 6 ranked Ducks open the Pac-12 Tournament on Friday as the No. 1 seed after clinching their first Pac-12 regular season title since 1999-2000.
Ionescu is the third player in program history to be named Pac-12 player of the year, joining Shaquala Williams, who won in 1999-2000, and Lauri Landerholm, who won in 1986-87, the first year the Pac-12 handed out the award.
"Sabrina sets the tone for us," said head coach Kelly Graves. "Her consistency, competitiveness and willingness to take the big shot are unmatched. She's the engine that makes us go."
The season-ending conference award winners were selected by vote of the Pac-12's head coaches. Stanford's Tara VanDerveer was named coach of the year.
After winning Pac-12 freshman of the year honors last season, Ionescu joins Washington's Kelsey Plum, Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike, and Stanford's Jayne Appel as players in the last 10 years to win both the league's freshman and player of the year honors. Williams also won both for the Ducks, taking freshman of the year honors in 1998-99 before being named player of the year the following season. Ionescu is the league's first sophomore to win player of the year since Stanford's Candice Wiggins did it in 2004-05.
Ionescu leads the Pac-12 with both 19.2 points per game and 7.8 assists per game. She is ranked 16th in the conference in rebounding, grabbing 6.7 per game. With 242 assists entering this week's Pac-12 Tournament, Ionescu has already shattered the UO single-season assists record of 209, set by Corrie Mizusawa in 2004-05. The guard matched the UO single-game assists record twice this year, with 14 helpers in a win over Weber State on Dec. 2 and 14 more in a win over Ole Miss on Dec. 17.
She is second in the Pac-12, behind only teammate Lexi Bando, with a 44.3 three-point percentage and has 12 double-doubles, good for third in the conference. Ionescu's 595 total points this season are the most in the conference and she became only the third player in UO history to reach 1,000 career points as a sophomore. Ionescu had a career-high 35 points in an overtime loss at Oregon State on Jan. 19. She hit a game-tying three-pointer with just seconds remaining to force extra time.
Ionescu made history this season when she posted her eighth career triple-double, with 24 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, on Dec. 31 against Washington. The triple-double broke the NCAA career record of seven, coming in just her 48th career collegiate game. Ionescu then tallied her ninth career triple-double on Jan. 28 at Utah with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. She had back-to-back games with triple-doubles this season, with one on Nov. 12 against Drake and another on Nov. 16 at No. 19 Texas A&M. After posting four last year as a freshman, she has five triple-doubles this season. The Ducks have won all nine games when Ionescu has tallied a triple-double.Â
Sabally is the second-straight conference freshman of the year for the Ducks, after Ionescu won last season. Sabally is the third all-time at Oregon to win it, as Williams also won in 1998-99. Sabally, a native of Berlin, Germany, is the third international player to be named Pac-12 freshman of the year, joining Washington State's Alke Dietel (Germany) and Oregon State's Tanja Kostic (Sweden).
"Even with a lot of talented players returning from last season, Satou worked into the starting lineup with her great skill and versatility," Graves said. "She is a matchup advantage for us each and every game, with her ability to play inside and outside. Her potential is off the charts."
Sabally averaged 10.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while appearing in all 31 of the Ducks' regular season games with 22 starts. Sabally made her first career start on Dec. 2 against Weber State. Three games later, against Ole Miss on Dec. 17, Sabally was back in the starting lineup for good, starting Oregon's last 21 games. The 6-foot-4 forward saved her best for the last week of the regular season, scoring 25 points and hitting 7-of-9 three-pointers in an overtime win versus No. 10 UCLA on Feb. 19. Sabally also had 21 points against No. 18 Oregon State on Jan. 21 and 22 points against Weber State in her first career start.
Sabally leads all freshmen in the Pac-12 in scoring (10.9 points per game) and field goal percentage (46.7 percent). Her seven three-pointers against UCLA is tied for the second-most by any Pac-12 player in a game this year.
The No. 6 ranked Ducks open the Pac-12 Tournament on Friday as the No. 1 seed after clinching their first Pac-12 regular season title since 1999-2000.
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