The No. 3 Oregon Ducks didn’t let the pressure of a top-10 showdown on the road get to them as they handed No. 4 UConn their first loss at home since 2013, ending a 66-game streak.
The Ducks won handily on Monday night, 74-56, leading for all but 27 seconds as they earned the program’s first road win over a top-five team.
For the Ducks, it started on the defensive end. Oregon forced 15 turnovers and limited the 11-time national championship Huskies to 39-percent shooting.
All five starters for the Ducks scored in double figures. Ruthy Hebard led the team with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Satou Sabally contributed a double-double, scoring 17 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Erin Boley made five of her seven field goal attempts and 3-of-5 three-point attempts for 13 total points.
The Huskies got off to an early lead but the Ducks claimed the advantage with a 10-0 run, leaving UConn in the first quarter and never trailing again.
The Ducks solidified their lead in the third quarter after UConn trailed close behind in the second. Hebard scored on consecutive possessions early in the third, followed by Sabally with a basket and Sabrina Ionescu with a three, putting the Ducks up 59-39 for their largest lead of the game.
Oregon struggled in the fourth, making just one of their eight shots, allowing UConn to close the lead, 69-56. Hebard hit a three-point shot and Minyon Moore contributed a field goal, solidifying Oregon’s lead in the final minutes, denying the Huskies’ comeback attempt.
The Ducks’ game against UConn wrapped up their road trip as they head home to host Arizona on Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena as Pac-12 play resumes.
