Less than 24 hours after a dominant rivalry victory for Oregon’s men’s basketball team, the women were able to keep Matthew Knight rocking.
Although a much smaller crowd than Saturday night’s energy-filled contest, Sunday saw the Ducks (13-5, 6-1 Pac-12) create their own momentum, handling the USC Trojans (9-9, 2-6 Pac-12) 80-48.
The Ducks came off of a longer break than expected, having Friday’s contest against the Bruins canceled due to injuries. With the win on Sunday and forfeited game on Friday, Oregon now sees its win streak hit seven as it continues to solidify a spot in March Madness.
Oregon never let up after going on a 13-0 run during the first quarter. Even when it didn’t seem to fall the Ducks’ way, they made it happen. The second quarter started with a few missed chances for Oregon, but offensive boards and forced turnovers allowed for total control.
“We did it with our defense and had some easy baskets on the other end. Runs only work when you score on one end and stop them on the other,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “This is one of our most complete games this season and we’ll take it.”
The scoring run didn’t stop in the first quarter. Nyara Sabally took over in the second with seven quick points that fueled a 9-0 run. USC kept from sinking with hard inside baskets and good three-point shooting. Despite their effort, Sabally continued her dominance through the post and fastbreak chances.
“Good defense always leads to great offense especially when you run out in transition,” Sabally said. “I feel like this is one of our strengths because our posts can run so fast and our guards can push the ball.”
A ridiculous turnaround basket followed by a long-range two had Sabally just shy of her average points per game with 20 minutes left to play. With a 17 point lead at the half, Sabally and the Ducks were not finished.
USC was without their head coach, as well as starters Alissa Pili and Tera Reed. The Trojans relied on Jordyn Jenkins to make up the missing 16 points of production. Their shorthanded efforts were all for none as the Trojans finished with three double-digit scorers who contributed 38 of the team’s 48 points.
The Rogers-Sabally duo was nearly unstoppable, the two combining for 40 points and 14 rebounds. Their return from their respective injuries has proven to be monumental in the team’s overall success. Sabally was just seven points shy from her career high, shooting 9-of-12.
The paint was constantly defended with tall bodies, making points seem near impossible to come across. The Trojans shot a measly 15-57 on the day compared to a 36% performance just days ago. The turnover differential, only a plus 7 for Oregon, did not tell the whole story. Oregon moved fast and often even with a comfortable lead late to make life hard for the Trojans.
“I thought this was one of our better defensive efforts for 40 minutes,” Graves said. “We’ve shown flashes a quarter here a quarter there but we haven’t yet put together a full 40 minutes and I think tonight we did just that.”
Oregon takes this convincing victory with a full head of steam for their upcoming home makeup contest against the Arizona State Sun Devils. After that they go on a three-game road trip, starting off with the No. 9 ranked Arizona Wildcats. Having won against Arizona at Matthew Knight earlier this season, expect another action-packed contest that serves important March Madness complications.
