The Oregon women’s basketball team met with reporters on Wednesday, fresh off the program’s upset win over No. 20 California.
Here are a few notes from practice:
Ionescu and Ducks with more reaction to game-winner
Sabrina Ionescu had a storybook homecoming to the Bay Area last weekend.
Her buzzer-beating 3-pointer was ESPN SportsCenter’s No. 2 play of the day. It also earned plenty of attention on social media. One Twitter user even overlaid music from “The Titanic” along with the video.
“It’s definitely the talk around campus,” Ionescu said. “… That was one of the biggest shots (of my life). I’ve never made a buzzer-beater to win a game. That’s definitely one that I’ll remember.”
Fellow freshman Mallory McGwire has seen her teammates’ shot plenty of times since Sunday.
“I see it all the time on Twitter and stuff,” McGwire said. “It’s so fun to re-watch. I was on the bench like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was the craziest 12 seconds of my life. … Nobody saw that coming. It was amazing.”
Giomi still recovering from hand injury
Head coach Kelly Graves said the Ducks will seek a medical redshirt for Lydia Giomi if she doesn’t return to the court this season.
The 6-foot-6 forward broke her hand during a practice in December. Her injury coincided with her 19th birthday.
“If she can’t get back on the court, absolutely we will seek a redshirt for her,” Graves said. “I think she will be a candidate to get it too. Because I don’t think she played in enough games.”
Giomi appeared in Oregon’s first seven games before she was injured. She traveled with the team to the Bay Area last weekend.
“I don’t think they’ve even looked at it,” Graves said. “The doctor is still waiting. We will see. I think she’s still a few weeks away from even getting looked at. It’s too bad. Too bad for her.”
Graves continued: “I’m still hopeful. She has to be 100 percent. If she’s not, then we’ll take the next step.”
Ionescu continues to rehab thumb
In her first weekend back with the team, Ionescu was 9 of 38 (23.7 percent) from the field. She entered the weekend shooting 41 percent from the field.
Oregon’s freshman standout said she’s working to regain her shot.
“I wasn’t able to shoot for about two weeks,” Ionescu said. “When there’s pain in there, I kind of try and not use my thumb as much. I didn’t hit it this weekend. So it’s getting better now and I’m slowly starting to get back to where I was.”
Graves said a player like Ionescu is special because she doesn’t let past performances affect her shooting confidence, especially in a game-winning situation like Sunday.
“She knows what she can and can’t do. That’s what makes her special.” Graves said. “Players like her — Kelsey Plum (Washington), Sydney Wiese (Oregon State), Sabrina. She can go 0-for-20, but who wants to take the 21st shot? She does. You can’t teach that. That’s innate to who she is.”
Woods to TCU
On Sunday, former Oregon guard Jayde Woods announced she will enroll at TCU on Jan. 17. Oregon announced her intent to transfer last month.
Graves on Wednesday said he helped Woods navigate the transfer process.
“I think it’s great,” Graves said. “She deserves the best and I hope the best for her. She had texted me before it became public and we were texting throughout the whole process.
“Every time I got a call from a coach, I texted her and let her know who, what and gave her — if she asked me — thoughts about that said coach or program. … I’m happy for her.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne