Oregon played as the predator, not the prey in Friday nights game at Matthew Knight Arena. And to start conference play the Ducks came out looking for blood.
With the 12-0 Colorado Buffaloes coming into town, the Ducks had their work cut out for them.
Players hit the deck, dove for any loose ball in sight and trapped in the perfect places, which fueled Oregon’s dominant 104-43 win over Colorado.
The Buffs were the first team on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer to start the game. After that, it was all Oregon the rest of the way.
Oregon was all over the floor with defensive juggernaut Minyon Moore spearheading the energy in the backcourt. Moore dared Colorado freshman Jaylyn Sherrod to dribble at her in their full court press. The next possession, the Buffs fell right into Oregon’s daring trap and the Ducks forced a turnover via Moore and Sabrina Ionescu’s defensive ferocity.
By the end of the first quarter, the Ducks forced six turnovers and held the Buffs to a cold 18% shooting from the field.
Head coach Kelly Graves was impressed by the way they came out, clapping his hands and hopping up from his seat in enthusiasm.
Oregon dominated in all facets defensively, holding down Colorado to 27% overall field goal percentage, 17% from three point land and 48% from the free throw stripe.
Up at the halfway point, 51-22, the Ducks did not let up in the second half and topped every quarter with over 25 points.
Ionescu, the triple-double leader, became the 12th player in NCAA history to reach 900 career assists in the third quarter. Ionescu concluded the game with 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists to reach the milestone.
Another historic breakthrough occurred when Ruthy Hebard surpassed 2,000 career points as a Duck, also in the third quarter, with a left side putback from a missed Erin Boley 3-pointer. Hebard, along with her historic night, ended the game with 21 points and five boards and is only the fifth Duck in program history to complete this feat.
Oregon steamrolled the Buffs the rest of the game, still applying defensive pressure and taking solid shots on offense.
The Ducks took care of business and the victory ended Colorado’s undefeated 12 game winning streak to kick off the Pac-12 gauntlet that is ahead. The Ducks will stay in Eugene for the next conference game against Utah on Sunday.
Follow Carly on Twitter @carlyebisuya.
