EUGENE, OREGON
DUCKS 91 - HOOSIERS 68
The Oregon Ducks (31-4, 16-2) are back in the Sweet Sixteen after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers (21-13, 8-10) by a score of 91 to 68. In front of a crowd of 6,729 at Matt Knight Arena, Sabrina Ionescu earned her 18th career triple-double (29PTS - 10 REB - 12 AST ) and the Ducks hit 13 triples.
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— NCAA WBB (@ncaawbb) March 25, 2019
SABRINA IONESCU IS
GOOD AT BASKETBALL
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| |#ncaaW | @OregonWBB pic.twitter.com/7xtO2ekPYP
FIRST HALF
The Hoosiers proved to be a much tougher opponent than the Vikings, especially in the first half when Oregon and Indiana went back and forth, trading stretches of dominant runs.
Ruthy Hebard started the scoring with a quick layup but the Hoosiers were quick to respond. Bendu Yeaney left early due to an injury, but played a big role early on. Yeaney’s jumper tied the game at 2-2. Maite Cazorla reclaimed the lead with a layup but Ali Patberg responded with a score of her own. Then, when Sabrina Ionescu scored her first points off a jumper, Patberg was there again to tie it up.
Yeaney gave the Hoosiers their first lead of the game, 8-6, after a fastbreak score setup by a Patberg steal. Ruthy Hebard hit a rare jumper, a shot that seemed to surprise the Indiana defender, which tied the game and started a 10-0 Oregon run. The Hoosiers fought their way back to within two, but strong play from the Ducks’ starters gave Oregon their 24-19 lead going into the second quarter.
Starting with Jaelynn Penn’s triple with six seconds left in the first, Indiana began a 12-0 run that gave them a 28-24 lead at the 8:14 mark. A Hebard steal turned into a Ionescu triple-and-1 off of a Lydia Giomi assist; the four-point play snapped the Hoosier streak while tying the game at 28-28. Ionescu followed up her four-point shot with another triple.
After falling behind by four, the Ducks scored the next 14 points, building a 38-28 lead with 2:37 left. Indiana was able to cut the lead to single digits with under a minute remaining, but Ionescu hit another three-pointer to put the Ducks up 43 to 31 at the half.
OREGON DUCKS
*Sabrina Ionescu (37 min) 29 PTS - 10 REB - 12 AST - 3 STL - 9/19 FG- 5/9 3PT - 6/6 FT
*Satou Sabally (33 min) 19 PTS - 8 REB - 3 AST - 4 BLK - 1 STL - 8/14 FG - 2/6 3PT - 1/4 FT
*Erin Boley (34 min) 14 PTS - 3 REB - 2 AST - 5/10 FG - 4/8 3PT
*Maite Cazorla (39 min) 9 PTS - 2 REB - 3 AST - 3/7 FG - 2/6 3PT - 1/2 FT
*Ruthy Hebard (27 min) 8 PTS - 10 REB - 1 AST - 1 BLK - 1 STL - 4/9 FG
Oti Gildon (16 min) 8 PTS - 3 REB - 3/4 FG - 2/2 FT
Lydia Giomi (8 min) 2 PTS - 2 REB - 1 AST - 1/2 FG
Morgan Yaeger (6 min) 1/1 FG
INDIANA STARTERS
Ali Patberg (37 min) 16 PTS - 3 REB - 5 AST - 1 STL -8/18 FG - 0/3 3PT
Jaelynn Penn (38 min) 15 PTS - 6 REB - 1 BLK - 2 STL - 6/16 FG - 3/8 3PT
Bendu Yeaney (17 min) 10 PTS - 5/7 FG - 0/1 3PT
Kym Royster (19 min) 8 PTS - 1 REB - 2 AST - 3/3 FG - 2/2 FT
Brenna Wise (32 min) 5 PTS - 6 REB - 1 AST - 1 BLK - 1 STL - 1/6 FG - 1/4 3PT - 2/2 FT
SECOND HALF
The Ducks started the third quarter with a 12-point lead and maintained their double-digit cushion for the remainder of the contest. After five triples in the first half, Oregon exploded with eight more to close out the game.
There were moments when the Hoosiers found success on offense, but they were ultimately outscored in every quarter and the Ducks were able to create 26 points off turnovers. Yeaney suffered a leg injury during the third quarter and her unfortunate departure deflated Indiana’s offense.
With 4:41 left in the fourth, Oregon concluded a 10-0 run that gave them an 84-61 lead. At this point, the game was basically over, but the quest for Ionescu’s 18th triple-double was still afoot.
Duck fans have become accustomed to waiting for Ionescu to grab some rebounds during the twilight of certain games. Usually, the double-digit points and assists come before the rebounds in a Ionescu triple-double, so with 3:55 left in the game the crowd was ready for the Duck star to fill out her stat line which read 29 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
Ionescu missed a jumper but snatched her own rebound, then picked up a missed layup from Indiana’s Brenna Wise. In a series of events that begs the question of whether she did it on purpose, Ionescu missed a triple and chased it down for her tenth rebound and eighth triple-double of the season. She was immediately subbed out to the delight of the home crowd and the Ducks went on to win in blowout fashion.
Oregon now awaits the winner of the Syracuse-South Dakota State game. Three years and three Sweet Sixteens is an impressive feat, but these Ducks wont be satisfied until they win it all!
#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/LG8uAIhVHh
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) March 25, 2019
GO DUCKS!
NEXT UP: #3 seed Syracuse/#6 seed South Dakota State
3/29, Friday, ESPN2, Portland
Right where we wanted to be. #GoDucks #NCAAW pic.twitter.com/KUfP8PoBM8
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) March 25, 2019