Sunday, March 1
Eugene, OR
12:00 PM
University of Oregon
28-2,17-1Pac-12
92
vs
56
Washington
13-16,5-13Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Washington
18
6
16
16
56
Oregon
19
27
28
18
92
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Senior Day A Celebration At MKA
03/01/20 | Women's Basketball
The UO women's basketball team feted four departing players and romped past Washington on Sunday, 92-56.
EUGENE, Ore. — It was a party at midcourt in Matthew Knight Arena.
After the final buzzer sounded to end Oregon's 92-56 victory Sunday over Washington, the No. 3 UO women's basketball team huddled at midcourt and danced along to "Shout!" The moment was reminiscent of the football's team's postgame celebration at the Rose Bowl earlier this year.
There was much to celebrate for the Ducks on Sunday, headlined by a four-woman senior class that has redefined greatness for Oregon athletics. Oregon will enter the postseason as three-time Pac-12 regular-season champions and on a 16-game winning streak, after blowing open Sunday's game in the second quarter and cruising to victory.
"We're definitely riding the crest of a big wave, playing well," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "Once we had a chance to get refocused after that ASU game (the Ducks' lone Pac-12 loss, on Jan. 10) they've played with an entirely new commitment. We're playing well; we're healthy; we're happy; we're hungry still."
Once the postgame celebration was over, a ceremony was held to honor Oregon's four departing players — graduate transfer Minyon Moore, junior Satou Sabally and the top-two scorers in program history, Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard. They'll lead the Ducks into next week's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas as the top seed, before presumably playing one final weekend in Matthew Knight Arena for the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
"I think it would be a little tougher if I knew this truly was their last game here," Graves said. "But I'm fairly certain we're guaranteed at least one more here in the next few weeks. This is a group that left quite a legacy. We have some iconic players that we're losing, and it will be tough to recover at some point. We're going to miss them so bad. But I think the future is really, really bright."
How It Happened: The Ducks (28-2, 17-1 Pac-12) started quickly for the second game of this homestand, scoring the first seven points to force an early UW timeout. Oregon's shooting went cold and the Huskies rallied to lead 14-12, but Ruthy Hebard scored to tie the game and Taylor Chavez got the Ducks back in front with a three-pointer.
The game remained tight early in the second quarter, after back-to-back baskets by UW got the Huskies within 24-22. Sabrina Ionescu responded with a three-pointer, which sparked a 22-2 run by the Ducks to close out the first half. Oregon scored the final 17 points of the second quarter, capped by Jaz Shelley stealing the ball and feeding Minyon Moore for a buzzer beater that made it 46-24.
After some back-and-forth play early in the second half, the lead remained 22 at 57-35. But Hebard got Oregon going again with a three-point play, and she scored again for a 62–35 lead. Satou Sabally put the Ducks up 30 for the first time with two free throws for a 70-40 lead, and Chavez scored just before the quarter expired for a 74-40 advantage.
By the fourth quarter the only remaining drama was the honoring of the departing players. Ionescu's final regular-season basket in Matthew Knight Arena was a three-pointer for an 87-49 lead, and Hebard's last point was a free throw that made it 88-51. With 4:27 left in the game, Graves called timeout and inserted first Shelley for Moore, then Lydia Giomi for Sabally, then Lucy Cochrane for Hebard and finally Holly Winterburn for Ionescu, as the crowd roared its acknowledgment.
"Today was a lot of fun," Sabally said. "Everyone contributed to the game. We won. And it was so cool to see everyone's family out here, and so much love."
Who Stood Out: Hebard led the Ducks with 24 points, seven rebounds and five steals, as Oregon finished with 17 steals as a team and converted UW's 22 turnovers into 28 points. Sabally added 20 points and five rebounds, and Ionescu had 13 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Chavez was 6-of-9 from the floor for 14 points, and Moore scored 11 points while handing out six assists.
Up Next: The Ducks will open the Pac-12 Tournament in the quarterfinal round Friday at 2 p.m.
After the final buzzer sounded to end Oregon's 92-56 victory Sunday over Washington, the No. 3 UO women's basketball team huddled at midcourt and danced along to "Shout!" The moment was reminiscent of the football's team's postgame celebration at the Rose Bowl earlier this year.
There was much to celebrate for the Ducks on Sunday, headlined by a four-woman senior class that has redefined greatness for Oregon athletics. Oregon will enter the postseason as three-time Pac-12 regular-season champions and on a 16-game winning streak, after blowing open Sunday's game in the second quarter and cruising to victory.
"We're definitely riding the crest of a big wave, playing well," UO coach Kelly Graves said. "Once we had a chance to get refocused after that ASU game (the Ducks' lone Pac-12 loss, on Jan. 10) they've played with an entirely new commitment. We're playing well; we're healthy; we're happy; we're hungry still."
Once the postgame celebration was over, a ceremony was held to honor Oregon's four departing players — graduate transfer Minyon Moore, junior Satou Sabally and the top-two scorers in program history, Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard. They'll lead the Ducks into next week's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas as the top seed, before presumably playing one final weekend in Matthew Knight Arena for the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
"I think it would be a little tougher if I knew this truly was their last game here," Graves said. "But I'm fairly certain we're guaranteed at least one more here in the next few weeks. This is a group that left quite a legacy. We have some iconic players that we're losing, and it will be tough to recover at some point. We're going to miss them so bad. But I think the future is really, really bright."
How It Happened: The Ducks (28-2, 17-1 Pac-12) started quickly for the second game of this homestand, scoring the first seven points to force an early UW timeout. Oregon's shooting went cold and the Huskies rallied to lead 14-12, but Ruthy Hebard scored to tie the game and Taylor Chavez got the Ducks back in front with a three-pointer.
The game remained tight early in the second quarter, after back-to-back baskets by UW got the Huskies within 24-22. Sabrina Ionescu responded with a three-pointer, which sparked a 22-2 run by the Ducks to close out the first half. Oregon scored the final 17 points of the second quarter, capped by Jaz Shelley stealing the ball and feeding Minyon Moore for a buzzer beater that made it 46-24.
After some back-and-forth play early in the second half, the lead remained 22 at 57-35. But Hebard got Oregon going again with a three-point play, and she scored again for a 62–35 lead. Satou Sabally put the Ducks up 30 for the first time with two free throws for a 70-40 lead, and Chavez scored just before the quarter expired for a 74-40 advantage.
By the fourth quarter the only remaining drama was the honoring of the departing players. Ionescu's final regular-season basket in Matthew Knight Arena was a three-pointer for an 87-49 lead, and Hebard's last point was a free throw that made it 88-51. With 4:27 left in the game, Graves called timeout and inserted first Shelley for Moore, then Lydia Giomi for Sabally, then Lucy Cochrane for Hebard and finally Holly Winterburn for Ionescu, as the crowd roared its acknowledgment.
"Today was a lot of fun," Sabally said. "Everyone contributed to the game. We won. And it was so cool to see everyone's family out here, and so much love."
Who Stood Out: Hebard led the Ducks with 24 points, seven rebounds and five steals, as Oregon finished with 17 steals as a team and converted UW's 22 turnovers into 28 points. Sabally added 20 points and five rebounds, and Ionescu had 13 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Chavez was 6-of-9 from the floor for 14 points, and Moore scored 11 points while handing out six assists.
Up Next: The Ducks will open the Pac-12 Tournament in the quarterfinal round Friday at 2 p.m.
Team Stats
UW
Oregon
FG%
.367
.485
3FG%
.273
.381
FT%
.750
.870
RB
35
37
TO
22
10
STL
8
17
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ 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
/ 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
