LAS VEGAS — Following a 20-point victory over Utah, the No. 1 seed Ducks continue on in the Pac-12 Conference tournament to take on No. 4 seed Arizona on Saturday. 

Despite the lopsided final score, Oregon struggled in the first half as it trailed Utah for most of the first quarter. 

“You know, we have been playing really, really well,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “This is one of the first games in the last maybe 16 or 17 where we just didn’t play our best. We weren’t in sync really defensively or offensively.” 

The Ducks took on the Wildcats twice during the regular season, claiming both victories. 

On Jan. 12, the Ducks struggled in turnover territory. Oregon committed six of its total 17 turnovers in the first quarter, which allowed the Wildcats to take a 20-18 lead in the first 10 minutes. Oregon bounced back after a tough first quarter, opening the second with a 7-0 scoring run. Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally combined for 54 of Oregon’s points in the 71-64 victory. 

The Ducks won the second game by a landslide, 85-52, on Feb. 7 at home in Matthew Knight Arena. Ionescu, who secured her 24th career triple-double, led with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, making 6-of-9 field goal attempts.

Graves detailed how the Ducks are preparing for the semifinals after their victory over Utah.

“I think you should always be mentally prepared,” Graves said. “I mean, that’s every bit as important to the game plan as physical preparedness. I think this time of year none of us have a ton of time to make a lot of adjustments at this point because you have to turn right over and play quickly. You don’t have that day in between… It will be different. It has to be different.”