BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Another ranked opponent yielded another midcourt March Madness celebration for the Ducks.
The determined Ducks flew into each other’s arms at center court while No. 3-seeded Maryland could only look on in disbelief. Seconds after Oregon upended Maryland 77-63, it was the Ducks’ moment to celebrate. Once again. But this time before a national television audience on the biggest stage of the season.
“I continue to be amazed at this team,” head coach Kelly Graves said of the Ducks, who improved to 5-1 in March.
Oregon’s latest NCAA Tournament feat punched a ticket to the Elite Eight where the Ducks will face No. 1-ranked UConn.
No team in program history had advanced to the Sweet 16 before last weekend.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, to be honest,” said Sabrina Ionescu, who scored a game-high 21 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed seven boards. “I think we’re too young to know any better. Nobody really knows the pressure because we don’t have any pressure.
“We came in not knowing any better and it’s working for us.”
The Ducks used an all-out defensive effort to stop Maryland, the top-ranked offensive team in the country. The Terrapins entered the game averaging 90.1 points a game but scored a season-low 63 points. Oregon shot 45.9 percent while Maryland shot 45.6 percent.

“That was our goal — to control the tempo,” Lexi Bando said. “Control the game. Control each possession. It’s kind of incredible that we were able to do that.”
Maryland didn’t hit a 3-pointer while Oregon made six.
Oregon countered the Terps’ offense with a balanced offensive attack. Five players scored in double-digits: Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard (16), Maite Cazorla (15), Oti Gildon (11) and Bando (10).
“I’ll tell you this: Oregon is for real,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “I thought they were sensational tonight. I thought they punched first. I thought they were fearless, aggressive, confident, really punished us in terms of any mistakes.”
The Ducks finished the game on an 8-0 run and forced four turnovers in the final 3:57 minutes to give themselves a shot at UConn, which has won 110 consecutive games and is looking for its fifth consecutive national title.
Oregon took 36-27 lead to halftime and built the lead up to 14 points with 1:32 left in the third after a 9-0 run. The Ducks matched their largest lead of the game again with 5:06 left on a layup by Gildon, who had a career game for the Ducks off the bench.
She had nine boards in addition to 11 points after Malloy McGwire picked up her fourth foul early in the third quarter.
“I completely trust her,” Graves said of Gildon. “She’s so versatile and attacks the rebounds with abandon. Her confidence, you can see, her confidence is just rising game in, game out.”
The win adds to what has already been a historic postseason run for the Ducks.
“I think it’s just throw out the seeds in (the NCAA Tournament), who cares? We’re a good team,” Graves said. “We are a good basketball team. We’re in the field … And I always say a good team with nothing to lose is a dangerous team.”
The Ducks will practice on Sunday and gear up for the Huskies, who are playing 75 miles from campus. But Graves hasn’t yet pondered Monday’s Elite Eight game yet.
“It’s going to take our absolute best performance of the year to move on,” Graves said. “And quite frankly, I haven’t really even thought about it yet.
“I’m kind of taking this win in.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
Find all of the Emerald’s coverage from Bridgeport here.