Minyon Moore and Taylor Chavez made snow angels in the piles of green and yellow confetti that rained down onto the court after Oregon’s 89-56 victory over Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game on Sunday.
“We Are The Champions” echoed over the loudspeakers as the players hugged each other, celebrating the victory and their spot in the NCAA tournament.
Moore walked out of the locker room with the net hanging around her neck after knocking down a season-high 21 points in her first Pac-12 title game. The transfer from USC had never made it this far in the tournament.
“By this time I’m at home with my feet kicked back watching them on TV,” Moore said. “To be a part of it now, to be a part of a program who is not only all about basketball but about family and pushing you to be a better person off the court and on the court is everything.”
Oregon struggled offensively in the first quarter. Stanford shut down the perimeter and the Ducks’ main shooters couldn’t get a good look. Sabrina Ionescu didn’t score in the first ten minutes and Oregon didn’t hit a single three.
Moore saw an opportunity and stepped up.
The guard found an opening and sunk the first 3-pointer of the game two minutes into the second quarter. She continued to dominate offensively throughout the rest of the game.
“You know, it’s funny, your great players find a way to step up in the biggest moments, and, you know, Minyon — you know, there have been games where she’s struggled, but she’s got the heart of a champion,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “And on the biggest night, on the biggest stage, she was able to step up her game.”
The second quarter was the nail in Stanford’s coffin as Oregon pulled away. With 4:06 to go in the second, Moore and Ionescu combined for all of Oregon’s 18 points in the quarter, stretching their lead to eight points, 32-24. Moore finished the half with 13 points.
“Minyon is a great player and she’s on this team for a reason,” Satou Sabally said. “She can make these shots and people underestimate her shot… I’m just really happy she was a big part of this win.”
Moore has primarily been regarded as a defensive player, accredited with bringing Oregon from the 191st most efficient defense, to a top-30 unit this season.
“It has been Minyon not necessarily that she’s disrupting people, but she’s slowing transition down,” Graves said. “We gave up no transition points to one of the best transition offensive teams in the country today… Minyon is the one that is slowing the ball down in transition.”
The Hercules, California native was a threat on both sides of the floor in Sunday’s victory. She played relentless defense against the Cardinal but hit four shots from beyond the arc. She shot 4-for-5 from the 3-point line and 6-for-9 from the field.
“I’m just really blessed to be able to do it alongside these amazing people,” Moore said. “And we still have a lot of business to take care of. Yeah. This is a great conference win and conference championship, but we have a lot more to accomplish.”
