As Oregon closed out the first half its Sweet 16 matchup against No. 6 seed South Dakota State, Satou Sabally started emitting a power surge of energy.
One minute she was swatting blocks behind opposing players’ heads, while in the next, she was down under the basket collecting her own offensive rebounds and scoring clutch layups for the No. 2-seeded Ducks. 
“I know my team needs [rebounds] and my team is expecting them from me and my coaches too,” Sabally said. “It’s hard but I feel like when people have to guard me more, the players will either get those rebounds or I’ll get them and just getting another possession on offensive or another fast break, which our team is like most efficient in.”
The Ducks are three games into their 2019 NCAA Tournament appearance, and the sophomore forward might be playing the aggressive basketball of her season.
Scoring nine of Oregon’s 13 points in the second quarter, Sabally recorded 14 points and nine rebounds, with eight boards coming from defensive play. She led the team at halftime with 11 points. 
“I thought her first half was one of the better halves of the season,” Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said. “When she plays like that, that gives us a whole different dynamic. It’s not just a Ruthy and a Sabrina show. She can bring something that no one else can to us. … she is that ‘X’ factor, no doubt about it.” 
Averaging a double-double over the span of three games with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Sabally’s aggressive presence energizes the team throughout dry spells and long score runs. Just like Graves, her teammates know just how much her energy brings to the team.
“When she’s aggressive, we’re a totally different team, especially when it comes to rebounding,” senior Oti Gildon said. “She’s so much taller than all the other guards so when she is able to go get rebounds against the smaller guards, they can’t stop her.” 
In Oregon’s Tournament appearance last year, the then-freshman averaged 11 points and six rebounds over Oregon’s run to the Elite Eight. With this year being her second go-around in the Tournament, Sabally said she feels more mature as both a player and a person.
“Everything goes by so fast,” Sabally said. “Just knowing what to expect and knowing what’s going to come and knowing what kind of intensity I need to bring out, that’s like such a benefit because it feels smoother and kinda easier.” 
Just three weeks ago the Ducks were shut down by the Stanford Cardinal in the Pac-12 Tournament title game. Over Oregon’s three games of that tournament, Sabally scored just 25 points and recorded 16 rebounds.
The Ducks got a full week off between the Pac-12 Tournament and Oregon’s opening round of March Madness. Sabally, who said she wasn’t proud of the way she played in the conference tournament, used that time to focus on learning how to move on from poor performances. 
“I wasn’t satisfied with the results, but I have to look at the whole season and not just that one game,” she said. “I just want to be the aggressor and maybe not focus on forcing my scores, but just focusing on crashing the board and defensive stops.” 
The Ducks will be relying on Sabally’s toughness against the No. 1 seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs when the two top-seeded teams of the Portland Regional face-off for the second time this season on Sunday’s Elite Eight.
“I’m really fired up,” Sabally said. “I wanted Mississippi State. I know that they’re a really great matchup. They were in the Final Four last year. They’re just going to make us better.”
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