Oregon and USC both came into Sunday afternoon’s matchup looking to pull off the unlikely weekend sweep.
But it was the Ducks who had the first punch.
“I loved our energy, especially defensively, and we had a lot of different contributors,” said head coach Kelly Graves. “Our kids played well.”
It was all Oregon from start to finish, as stifling defense combined with timely bursts on the offensive end resulted in a 73-50 win for the Ducks over USC. The win moves the Ducks to an even 7-7 in Pac-12 play.
“Being a new team, we’re finally learning to play with each other,” said Lexi Bando, who had 12 points in the win.
It was Bando who carried the Ducks to an upset of No. 15 UCLA on Friday night, scoring a season-high 25 points. On Sunday, Oregon’s starting five contributed heavily to an impressive start-to-finish performance.
“It’s hard when you have Bando on the wing, Mallory [McGwire] who can shoot it, and Ruthy [Hebard] is a beast inside,” said Sabrina Ionescu. “If we continue to grow defensively, we’re going to be unstoppable.”
It’s also hard for any team to have to deal with Ionescu, who led the way for the Ducks again on Sunday. The freshman point guard poured in a game-high 22 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in 38 minutes on the floor.
“Sabrina is pretty good,” joked Graves after the game. “I think the most important thing she brings is her intensity.”
Ionescu, along with the entire Ducks team, brought the intensity on the defensive end. The energy was palpable from the opening tip, as Oregon held USC to a mere six points in the first quarter of action. Sadie Edwards, who scored 23 points against the Ducks last month, was held to just two points on Sunday.
“Team defense takes the longest to build,” said Graves. “If they see the rewards, it fuels them even more.”
Sunday’s game was punctuated by two Oregon runs in the opening quarter of each half. The Ducks went on a 12-0 run in the first quarter, holding USC without a bucket for over 6 minutes of play. A 13-0 run in the third quarter, finished off by 3-pointers from Maite Cazorla, Bando and Ionescu, essentially put the game away in favor of the Ducks.
“We just have to keep building,” said Ionescu. “We can’t take any game for granted.”
USC – which pulled off the unlikely upset in Corvallis on Friday with a 70-50 win over No. 9 Oregon State – couldn’t handle the post presence of Hebard and McGwire, who both flirted with double-doubles. McGwire finished with 12 points along with eight rebounds.
“I think over the last few weeks, she’s really shown what she’s capable of doing,” said Graves.
With the win, Oregon completed the season sweep of USC for the first time since the 2002-03 season. While there are still four regular season games left, March is right around the corner. A spot in the NCAA Tournament looks increasingly for the Ducks.
“We’ve kept our eye on a prize in the future, knowing that each game that we play, play well and win, leads to that end,” Graves said. “I think our kids are focused. … I really like where they’re at, physically and mentally.”
Follow Cole Kundich on Twitter @ckundich
