SAN ANTONIO — It felt as though Oregon was scrambling to find the right pieces at times this season. On Wednesday, the Ducks finally put those pieces together, knocking off No. 3 seed Georgia, 57-50, in the Alamodome on their way to the Sweet 16.
Sedona Prince hit mid-range jumpers and scored in the post with a myriad of moves, Erin Boley and Taylor Mikesell found their spots and shot with conviction and, in the absence of its two strongest ball handlers — Te-Hina Paopao and Jaz Shelley — freshman Maddie Scherr proved yet again to be a vital piece of Oregon’s lineup.
The Ducks tightened up their rotation, made adjustments and adapted on the fly.
Oregon’s attempts to feed Nyara Sabally and Prince in the post were diminished early on by Georgia’s ball pressure. The Ducks didn’t have the freedom to position themselves down low as they did against South Dakota due to the Bulldogs’ suffocating defense and interior size.
“In the first half, I was a bit skeptical because No. 14 on Georgia [Jenna Staiti] was bigger than me, so I just wanted to feel it out,” Prince said. “After I got that confidence, I started taking it inside and feeling stronger in the post.”
All tied up 27-27 going into halftime, Oregon found its stride, weaving through Georgia’s zone defense. Prince found the pockets in the zone and made her presence known in the paint — on both sides of the floor.
“We wanted to show today that we’re not the team to be messed with,” Prince said.
Georgia quickly came back from a 40-33 deficit with a mini four-point run of their own. Two layups by center Jenna Staiti and guard Maya Caldwell brought the Bulldogs within three, 40-37.
Tied at 48 with just over two minutes left, a pass from Maddie Scherr led to a Sabally layup, giving the Ducks the lead once again. From then on, Oregon never looked back.
With 51 seconds remaining, Sabally put her head down and drove hard into the paint, knocking her defender over and finishing a dagger layup on the right side of the rim. Oregon’s lead extended to 54-48 with 39 seconds left.
The one-two punch of Sabally and Prince scored 37 of Oregon’s 57 points, including the first 14 points of the fourth quarter. Prince finished with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting to go along with four blocks. Sabally nearly reached a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Ducks’ defense was once again fueled behind freshman Scherr, who continued to be a key contributor for the Ducks’ success. Oregon held Georgia to 1-for-13 shooting from three and 35% field goals on the game — a testament to Scherr’s ability to anchor Oregon on the defensive end in just her third career start.
Mikesell added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, along with clutch free throws in the final minutes that sealed Oregon’s fourth straight ticket to the Sweet 16. Boley chipped in nine points after becoming the 33rd player in program history to reach 1,000 points in the Ducks’ win over South Dakota. Sabally, Prince, Boley and Mikesell were the only Oregon players to score.
Oregon, Baylor and Michigan are the only schools to have both men’s and women’s basketball programs playing in the Sweet 16 of their respective NCAA Tournaments. UCLA can join that group with a win on Wednesday night.
The Ducks will square off against No. 2 seed Louisville on Sunday, March 28 at 4 p.m. PT.
Follow Carly on Twitter @carlyebisuya as she continues coverage of Oregon throughout the NCAA Tournament.
