SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - The Ducks are heading to the Sweet 16 after having defeated the Lady Bulldogs by a score of 57 to 50 in the Round of 32. Oregon continues to improve their shooting percentage and finished 45.8 percent (22-of-48) from the floor and 41.7 percent (5-of-12) from deep.

The 2020-21 Ducks have earned their victories in large part due to a tall and suffocating defense, and that trend continued during the Big Dance in which they held the Lady Bulldogs to 35.0 percent (21 of 60) and allowed just one successful three-point attempt out of 13 shots.

Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally scored a combined 37 points, the former leading all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting and the latter tallying 15 points, which included a triple that gave the Ducks a 27-25 lead before Mikayla Coombs was able to tie it with a jumper just before the half.

This came two days after holding the South Dakota Coyotes to 26.2 percent from the floor during the First Round. In that contest, Oregon allowed just nine points in the first half, and against Georgia the Ducks were able to replicate that energy by allowing just six points in the third.

The Ducks had a 40-to-33 lead entering the final frame, but the Lady Bulldogs put together an 8-2 run at the top of the fourth to make it a one-point game. The lead changed back and forth in the final half of the final quarter, and the game was tied at 46-46 and then 48-48 before Oregon was able to pull off the win by putting together a 9-2 run to end the game.

Sabally put her body on the line during the game and was rewarded with nine rebounds. Taylor Mikesell added 11 points and Erin Boley finished with 9 points, which included two triples.

The loss of Te-Hina Paopao due to injury has forced coach Kelly Graves to shuffle his starting five, and freshman guard Maddie Scherr looked comfortable recording 38 minutes. Though she didn’t score any points, Scherr recorded five assists and if she can limit her turnovers (5 against Georgia) then she could quickly carve out a significant role for herself in the postseason.

Oregon will take on the 2-seed Louisville Cardinals this Sunday at 4 PM in the Sweet 16.

BOX SCORE

GO DUCKS!

NEXT UP: 2-seed Louisville

4 PM, Sunday, ESPN