The last time Oregon met UCLA, the Ducks stole the No. 4 Bruins’ chances of winning the Pac-12 Tournament. Just three points made the difference in that game, allowing Oregon to advance to the final against Stanford and go on to earn the program’s first ever Pac-12 Tournament title.
Nine months later, on their home court, the Bruins had their chance at redemption.
But Oregon never gave them the chance.
The No. 5 Ducks (15-1, 4-0 Pac-12) defeated the Bruins 72-52 Sunday afternoon at the Pauley Pavillon to conclude Oregon’s first road trip of the season in a sweep over the So-Cal schools. The win marks Oregon’s eighth straight victory.
Despite scoring its lowest first-half score this season, 32-21, Oregon dominated the Bruins (9-8, 2-3 Pac-12) in the second half, outscoring them 40-31.
Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally led Oregon with 19 points each, earning double-doubles as well with rebounds. Hebard earned her sixth double-double of the season with a career-high 18 rebounds, while Sabally had 11 rebounds for her second career double-double.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 14 points, leading the Ducks with six assists. As a team, the Ducks recorded a season-high 21 offensive rebounds.
Oregon reached a 10-point lead twice in the first quarter, outshooting UCLA 50 percent to 26 percent.
After ending the first quarter ahead 19-11, the Ducks used a 7-0 run to lead by as much as 13 with less than three minutes remaining in the half. UCLA’s Lauryn Miller snuck in a final layup in the half’s final 16 seconds to lessen the damage for a halftime score of 31-21.
The Bruins got as close as within 10 points from the Ducks halfway through the third, but back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Maite Cazorla helped the Ducks open the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run. Cazorla’s second 3-pointer got Oregon to its highest lead of the game of 28 points with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
The Ducks will return home to Eugene to host the Arizona schools next weekend. Oregon will start the homestand against No. 19 Arizona State on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing the Arizona Wildcats on Sunday at noon.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter @maggie_vanoni
