Friday, January 3
Eugene, OR
7:00 PM
University of Oregon
11-1,1-0Pac-12
104
vs
46
Colorado
12-1,1-1Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Colorado
11
11
13
11
46
Oregon
26
25
31
22
104
Photo by: Eric Evans Photography
Ducks Overwhelm Buffs In Pac-12 Opener
01/03/20 | Women's Basketball
Ruthy Hebard scored her 2,000th career point and Sabrina Ionescu notched her 900th career assist in Friday's 104-46 victory.
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon coach Kelly Graves challenged his No. 2 UO women's basketball team to raise its game for the start of Pac-12 Conference play Friday, and did the Ducks ever oblige.
Ruthy Hebard went over 2,000 career points, Sabrina Ionescu surpassed 900 career assists and they combined with Satou Sabally for 59 points as the Ducks beat visiting Colorado on Friday, 104-46, before 10,483 fans in Matthew Knight Arena. Graves said he huddled with his "Big Three" prior to the game, and challenged them to improve on an "up-and-down" nonconference performance.
"We were just ready," Graves said. "I think they needed this; they wanted this. They're all not going to end like this, but we have to keep giving that kind of effort. And if we do, we're going to be hard to beat."
How It Happened: The Ducks (11-1, 1-0 Pac-12) combined accurate shooting with stifling defense all night, and set the tone from the start. Oregon shot 52.6 percent in the first quarter, and held previously undefeated Colorado to 23.5 percent shooting — and the Ducks built a 26-11 lead without so much as a single three-pointer in the opening quarter. Hebard got her historic night started early, scoring Oregon's first basket on a pick-and-roll with Minyon Moore, and she hit a running floater just inside the free-throw line during a 10-0 run that put the Ducks up 18-5.
In the second quarter, Oregon's steadily improving three-point shooting became a factor. Erin Boley hit the Ducks' first triple of the game for a 36-16 lead, and then the floodgates opened. Late in the half, Ionescu launched a three from the top of the arc that bounced high off the rim, caromed off the top of the backboard, hit the front of the rim and bounced in. The crowd erupted, and so did Oregon's offense: Ionescu hit another three on the next possession, and Jaz Shelley added two more before halftime to give the Ducks a 51-22 lead at the break.
Hebard got her record-setting basket early in the third quarter. Fittingly, it was a putback, as she collected a miss in the post, went right back up and made the layin to surpass 2,000 career points. The Ducks started to put on a show at that point, with Hebard hitting a spinning hook shot for a 65-27 advantage. A few possessions later, Sabally showed off the talent that makes her one of the elite young players in the world. After a defensive stop for the Ducks, she raced up the floor, reached back in full stride to collect a pass, went behind her back to get past a defender and laid up the ball with her off hand. Ionescu got her 900th career assist on the final basket of the period, feeding Lydia Giomi to put the Ducks up 82-35.
The fourth quarter was a chance for Oregon's bench players to shine, and they stepped up to the challenge. Taylor Chavez made a trio of three-pointers in the period, and the freshman duo of Shelley and Holly Winterburn combined for 10 points. From the bench, the UO veterans erupted in cheers with every basket, cheering on their teammates with the same vigor they brought to the court earlier in the night.
Who Stood Out: Ionescu finished with 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists, against just one turnover, while becoming just the 12th women's player in NCAA history to reach 900 assists. Hebard also scored 21 while grabbing five boards and blocking three shots. Sabally scored 17 points and had three steals, while Shelley and Chavez added 10 points apiece. Moore made a sublime contribution, providing seven points and five rebounds while helping set the tone for Oregon's lockdown defensive effort.
What It Means: The Ducks were 10-1 in nonconference play, but Graves clearly saw room for improvement. He got it Friday, the mark of a veteran team that responds to coaching.
Up Next: The Ducks wrap up the opening weekend of conference play by hosting Utah on Sunday (2 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Ruthy Hebard went over 2,000 career points, Sabrina Ionescu surpassed 900 career assists and they combined with Satou Sabally for 59 points as the Ducks beat visiting Colorado on Friday, 104-46, before 10,483 fans in Matthew Knight Arena. Graves said he huddled with his "Big Three" prior to the game, and challenged them to improve on an "up-and-down" nonconference performance.
"We were just ready," Graves said. "I think they needed this; they wanted this. They're all not going to end like this, but we have to keep giving that kind of effort. And if we do, we're going to be hard to beat."
How It Happened: The Ducks (11-1, 1-0 Pac-12) combined accurate shooting with stifling defense all night, and set the tone from the start. Oregon shot 52.6 percent in the first quarter, and held previously undefeated Colorado to 23.5 percent shooting — and the Ducks built a 26-11 lead without so much as a single three-pointer in the opening quarter. Hebard got her historic night started early, scoring Oregon's first basket on a pick-and-roll with Minyon Moore, and she hit a running floater just inside the free-throw line during a 10-0 run that put the Ducks up 18-5.
In the second quarter, Oregon's steadily improving three-point shooting became a factor. Erin Boley hit the Ducks' first triple of the game for a 36-16 lead, and then the floodgates opened. Late in the half, Ionescu launched a three from the top of the arc that bounced high off the rim, caromed off the top of the backboard, hit the front of the rim and bounced in. The crowd erupted, and so did Oregon's offense: Ionescu hit another three on the next possession, and Jaz Shelley added two more before halftime to give the Ducks a 51-22 lead at the break.
Hebard got her record-setting basket early in the third quarter. Fittingly, it was a putback, as she collected a miss in the post, went right back up and made the layin to surpass 2,000 career points. The Ducks started to put on a show at that point, with Hebard hitting a spinning hook shot for a 65-27 advantage. A few possessions later, Sabally showed off the talent that makes her one of the elite young players in the world. After a defensive stop for the Ducks, she raced up the floor, reached back in full stride to collect a pass, went behind her back to get past a defender and laid up the ball with her off hand. Ionescu got her 900th career assist on the final basket of the period, feeding Lydia Giomi to put the Ducks up 82-35.
The fourth quarter was a chance for Oregon's bench players to shine, and they stepped up to the challenge. Taylor Chavez made a trio of three-pointers in the period, and the freshman duo of Shelley and Holly Winterburn combined for 10 points. From the bench, the UO veterans erupted in cheers with every basket, cheering on their teammates with the same vigor they brought to the court earlier in the night.
Who Stood Out: Ionescu finished with 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists, against just one turnover, while becoming just the 12th women's player in NCAA history to reach 900 assists. Hebard also scored 21 while grabbing five boards and blocking three shots. Sabally scored 17 points and had three steals, while Shelley and Chavez added 10 points apiece. Moore made a sublime contribution, providing seven points and five rebounds while helping set the tone for Oregon's lockdown defensive effort.
What It Means: The Ducks were 10-1 in nonconference play, but Graves clearly saw room for improvement. He got it Friday, the mark of a veteran team that responds to coaching.
Up Next: The Ducks wrap up the opening weekend of conference play by hosting Utah on Sunday (2 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
CU
Oregon
FG%
.267
.580
3FG%
.167
.471
FT%
.476
.727
RB
38
40
TO
21
6
STL
4
10
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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