Te-Hina PaoPao and Nyara Sabally scored 41 points for the No. 19 Oregon Ducks (14-5, 7-1 Pac-12) who used an early run to down Arizona State (9-8, 1-3 Pac-12) 72-58 in the team’s first meeting in 723 days.
Two cancellations and a postponement kept the teams apart for nearly two years, but the Ducks continued their dominance at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday afternoon, defeating the Sun Devils in a matinee makeup and extended their winning streak to eight games. Oregon improved to 10-1 at home and continues to hold its second place standing in the Pac-12.
Coming off a resounding 80-48 win against USC, Oregon’s offense picked up right where it left off, using a 17-0 run in the first quarter to erase an early 7-0 deficit and jump ahead to a lead that it would never surrender.
The Ducks’ 22-point first quarter came in large part from forward Nyara Sabally, who racked up 11 of her 22 points in just 6 minutes.
“Health is a part of it,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “Attitude is another. She’s realizing that she can be a dominant player.”
Arizona State started to show signs of life in the second quarter on the back of senior Mael Gilles’ 7 points. The Sun Devils outscored the Ducks in the quarter, forcing six turnovers to narrow the Oregon lead to 3 by halftime.
“We’ve got some things we’ve got to improve,” Graves said. “Tighten up our defense for the first three quarters a bit but we’re showing some good signs of maturing.”
Despite giving up a season high in points, Arizona State kept things close. Seven different players recorded points for the Sun Devils, but only having one double-digit scorer in Gilles proved detrimental.
Paopao led the charge alongside Sabally, scoring 19 points with six rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes of play. The win improved Oregon’s home record to 10-1 and helped the Ducks hold their second place standing in the talented Pac-12.
“We came out flying in that fourth quarter,” Paopao said. “And that’s what helped us get that dub.”
The Ducks will head down to the Grand Canyon State this weekend for a Pac-12 powerhouse clash with No. 8 Arizona on Friday and a rematch with the Sun Devils on Sunday.
“They will have zero of our attention,” Graves said. “It goes all to Arizona. That has big implications not just in the Pac-12 – but nationally.”
The Ducks defeated the Wildcats 78-76 in overtime at Matthew Knight Arena in the program’s last meeting on Jan. 15. Oregon looks to repeat its success against Arizona in a game with major postseason implications on the line Friday.
