Sunday, January 5
Eugene, OR
2:00 PM
University of Oregon
12-1,2-0Pac-12
88
vs
51
Utah
7-7,0-3Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Utah
10
14
9
18
51
Oregon
29
16
24
19
88
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Ducks Sweep Opening Weekend
01/05/20 | Women's Basketball
The UO women are off to a 2-0 start to Pac-12 play after Sunday's 88-51 victory over Utah.
EUGENE, Ore. — After Friday's victory for the Oregon women's team, UO coach Kelly Graves said his game ball might have gone to Minyon Moore for her sublime contributions at both ends of the floor.
Moore was back at it Sunday, but there was nothing sublime this time. Moore matched Sabrina Ionescu with a team-high 17 points and had two of Oregon's nine steals as the Ducks beat Utah, 88-51, on Sunday in Matthew Knight Arena.
"She just has so much bulldog in her," Graves said of Moore, who had seven points in Friday's win over Colorado. "She's just tough, just tough as nails. She's a great talker, and an awesome teammate. If you come out to our practice, no one talks more than her. No one's more energized, and we really need that."
How It Happened: The Ducks (12-1, 2-0 Pac-12) outscored the young Utes in the post 50-18, and that advantage was clear from the start. Three of Oregon's first five field goals were second-chance points, on a pair of putbacks by Ruthy Hebard and a third by Moore. Erin Boley followed Moore's basket with back-to-back threes, helping the UO women break open the game early, 18-5. Satou Sabally set up Hebard for a basket that sparked a 9-0 run late in the period, and Oregon was up 29-10 after one quarter.
The Utes stabilized themselves a bit in the second, but Oregon's defensive pressure kept the Ducks comfortably in front. During one sequence midway through the period, Oregon forced turnovers on three straight possessions. Two of them were converted into baskets, by Moore and Jaz Shelley; those were four of the 29 points off turnovers by the UO women in the game. That helped them take a 45-24 lead into halftime.
Oregon kept up the pressure in the third, led by Moore. With the Ducks ahead 54-26, the senior transfer scored three straight UO baskets, one of them off a steal. Shelley added a three-pointer late in the period and the Ducks led 69-33 through three. The fourth quarter featured a three pointer by Holly Winterburn and was capped by two free throws from fellow freshman Lucy Cochrane, much to the delight of a crowd that spilled into the top level at Matthew Knight Arena.
"I feel like every single game we play, we're at 10,000 or more," Ionescu said of the fans. "That gives us a tremendous advantage. Being a freshman or sophomore and coming into this environment is not easy. You can definitely tell some people are more nervous. Teams know this is a tough place to play. This is one of the toughest places to come to in the country, and I think teams are starting to realize that."
Who Stood Out: Ionescu had 17 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, threatening a triple-double despite playing only 28 minutes. Moore scored her 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Hebard added 13 points and 12 rebounds, her seventh double-double this season.
In all the Ducks used 10 players, and all 10 had at least one assist, which Graves pointed out postgame. "That's our signature, and everybody was included," he said.
What It Means: Oregon is off to an emphatic start to Pac-12 play, after two big wins. What's more, the Ducks had the chance to get their younger players substantial conference action in both games, important experience moving forward.
"I wouldn't play the other kids just to play them," Graves said. "They've earned it. And when they go in, they do a great job."
Up Next: The Ducks go on the road for the first time in Pac-12 play at Arizona State on Friday (5 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).
Moore was back at it Sunday, but there was nothing sublime this time. Moore matched Sabrina Ionescu with a team-high 17 points and had two of Oregon's nine steals as the Ducks beat Utah, 88-51, on Sunday in Matthew Knight Arena.
"She just has so much bulldog in her," Graves said of Moore, who had seven points in Friday's win over Colorado. "She's just tough, just tough as nails. She's a great talker, and an awesome teammate. If you come out to our practice, no one talks more than her. No one's more energized, and we really need that."
How It Happened: The Ducks (12-1, 2-0 Pac-12) outscored the young Utes in the post 50-18, and that advantage was clear from the start. Three of Oregon's first five field goals were second-chance points, on a pair of putbacks by Ruthy Hebard and a third by Moore. Erin Boley followed Moore's basket with back-to-back threes, helping the UO women break open the game early, 18-5. Satou Sabally set up Hebard for a basket that sparked a 9-0 run late in the period, and Oregon was up 29-10 after one quarter.
The Utes stabilized themselves a bit in the second, but Oregon's defensive pressure kept the Ducks comfortably in front. During one sequence midway through the period, Oregon forced turnovers on three straight possessions. Two of them were converted into baskets, by Moore and Jaz Shelley; those were four of the 29 points off turnovers by the UO women in the game. That helped them take a 45-24 lead into halftime.
Oregon kept up the pressure in the third, led by Moore. With the Ducks ahead 54-26, the senior transfer scored three straight UO baskets, one of them off a steal. Shelley added a three-pointer late in the period and the Ducks led 69-33 through three. The fourth quarter featured a three pointer by Holly Winterburn and was capped by two free throws from fellow freshman Lucy Cochrane, much to the delight of a crowd that spilled into the top level at Matthew Knight Arena.
"I feel like every single game we play, we're at 10,000 or more," Ionescu said of the fans. "That gives us a tremendous advantage. Being a freshman or sophomore and coming into this environment is not easy. You can definitely tell some people are more nervous. Teams know this is a tough place to play. This is one of the toughest places to come to in the country, and I think teams are starting to realize that."
Who Stood Out: Ionescu had 17 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, threatening a triple-double despite playing only 28 minutes. Moore scored her 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Hebard added 13 points and 12 rebounds, her seventh double-double this season.
In all the Ducks used 10 players, and all 10 had at least one assist, which Graves pointed out postgame. "That's our signature, and everybody was included," he said.
What It Means: Oregon is off to an emphatic start to Pac-12 play, after two big wins. What's more, the Ducks had the chance to get their younger players substantial conference action in both games, important experience moving forward.
"I wouldn't play the other kids just to play them," Graves said. "They've earned it. And when they go in, they do a great job."
Up Next: The Ducks go on the road for the first time in Pac-12 play at Arizona State on Friday (5 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).
Team Stats
Utah
Oregon
FG%
.373
.530
3FG%
.321
.294
FT%
.571
.867
RB
25
40
TO
20
8
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ 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
