Texas Southern’s bad day started when their game jerseys got stolen from their hotel, forcing them to play in their practice jerseys, and it only got worse when they suffered a 99-63 loss to Oregon Saturday afternoon in front of 9,159 fans at Matthew Knight Arena. 

The fourth game in eight days for the Ducks was highlighted by stellar performances by seniors Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard.

Sabrina Ionescu notched a triple-double, going 2-4 from deep and racking up 13 rebounds, 14 assists and 10 points. Her 19th triple-double extends her record of the most in NCAA history for men and women.

Meanwhile, Hebard scored 31 and got 13 rebounds on the way to her 42nd career double double. This was her third triple double in as many games, coming off her 19 point 15 rebound game against Utah State. Hebard had her way with Texas Southern’s smaller players in the paint, using her size to overpower them and score.

“It’s always fun against smaller post players,” said Hebard. “I just  took advantage.”

The Ducks wasted no time at the start of the first quarter, jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first four minutes. It became apparent early that Oregon’s offense and rebounding ability would simply be too much for Texas Southern. The first points for the Tigers didn’t come until Breasia Mcelrath’s layup with 5:40 to go in the first quarter. The only blip of the quarter for the Ducks was a missed layup and a turnover on back-to-back possessions with four minutes to go, but that was a minor delay for Oregon as they finished the quarter up 24-14.

Jaz Shelly hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the second quarter, and then followed it up with a no-look assist to Ionescu for a triple on the next possession. The Oregon lead grew steadily and reached 34 on Morgan Yaeger’s layup with eight seconds left in the quarter. 

Passing was key for Oregon on Saturday; their ball movement easily exposed the Texas Southern defense and the Ducks ended the game with 29 assists.

“Our team always makes the extra pass,” said head coach Kelly Graves. “Our core unit was really good and great offensively.”

The Ducks’ offense took a few possessions to get it’s rhythm back in the third quarter, starting off with a pair of missed threes and a travel. However, Ionescu got her team back on track with an electric bounce pass to assist Minyon Moore on a layup. The crowd erupted with 5:22 left in the quarter when Ionescu made two free-throws to secure the triple double. 

A 50 point margin at the start of the fourth quarter was the largest lead the Ducks would hold, but a bit of coasting towards the end of the game made the victory 36, which is still a healthy margin. 

The Oregon women’s basketball team is showing tremendous potential in this young season, and although this win was more of a tuneup against a small school, the seamlessness of Oregon’s ball movement and their size inside seem to be very difficult to stop. It may be early in the year, but Oregon looks as though they are ready to take on any opponent. 

The Ducks continue play as they travel to Syracuse to face the Orange on Sunday, Nov. 24.