By Ian Johnson
The Oregon Ducks Women’s Basketball team has taken not only the city of Eugene by storm, but rather the entire women’s basketball scene, as they were crowned Pac-12 regular season champions for the third year in a row, making it their 15th consecutive win. The triumphant trio of Ionescu, Hebard, and Sabally led the way again. Ruthy Hebard was ruthless against the Cougars, totaling 28 points and 14 rebounds. On a night where she had a small injury scare, Satou Sabally was dominant up to that point, tallying 22 points and 7 rebounds, really showing off her versatility as a player, scoring inside and out. Sabrina Ionescu had a quiet, yet productive night, finishing with 12 points and 12 assists, showing off her excellent vision and control of the offense time and time again.
From the top of the roster to the bottom, players on the Ducks made impacts and the depth of this team was shown off again tonight. All 11 active players got minutes tonight in a game the Ducks dominated start to finish. Oregon got out to an early 13-0 lead and really never looked back, as they cruised through the first half of the game with no struggles. Sabrina came into the second half looking to get her shot going, generating some trips to the foul line. The Ducks in the middle of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter went on offensive lulls, struggling to score the ball consistently when allowing parts of the big three to get some rest. In the end, the big lead and dominating defense from Oregon were too much for the Cougars to overcome.
On a night where Sabrina Ionescu was crowned for her incredible accolade of reaching 2,000 career points, 1,000 career assists, and 1,000 career rebounds, the video tribute after the game showed how much more it is than just her accolade. She highlighted how much her teammates and coaches have meant over the years and spoke on the way her idea of unfinished business has changed, caring more about the aspects of life off the court. The words spoken by all Ducks players highlight the character of this team and how much one another truly enjoys playing with each other, which is translating to success on the court at a rate we haven’t from many other teams.
Oregon looks to conclude the season with a perfect home record this season, tipping off against University of Washington at 12:00 on Sunday. A win on Sunday would mean a 17-1 Pac 12 record, creating all the confidence in the world heading into the next task at hand: the Pac 12 Championship!
Audio Story
By Jonah Rosenberg
Postgame Interviews:
Head Coach Kelly Graves
Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard