LAS VEGAS — It’s been a back-and-forth the last two postseasons for the Ducks and the Cardinal.
In 2018, the Cardinal lost to the Ducks in the Pac-12 Tournament final in a 20-point game. In 2019 the Ducks handed the Cardinal their worst loss ever at Maples Pavilion in a 40-point victory before matching up again in the 2019 Tournament final, where the Cardinal got their revenge and claimed the victory, 64-57.
Last season in the tournament final, Stanford got off to a strong start, scoring on their first three possessions for an 8-0 lead and finishing the first quarter with a seven-point lead over the Ducks. Stanford shut down Oregon’s pick and roll, slowing their offense.
The Ducks trailed 24-33 at the half but went on an 18-3 scoring run to close the third period and took their first lead of the game, 42-41. Oregon’s biggest lead was in the fourth quarter when Ionescu scored a quick jumper to pull the lead to 51-48. Stanford responded with a 3-point shot to tie it up and took off running with a couple of quick shots, securing the 64-57 victory over the Ducks.
Tomorrow the Ducks and the Cardinal once again face off in Las Vegas.
“They don’t have any weaknesses,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “They have the No. 1 player in the country, they have first, fourth draft picks. Honestly, our team is I think a lot younger, not as experienced… we’re going to have to figure out something to do that will really help our team be successful. We didn’t figure it out the first few times.”
Oregon claimed two victories over Stanford in the regular season.
In their first encounter on Jan. 16 at Matthew Knight Arena, Ionescu dropped a career-high 37 points to secure an 87-55 victory over the Cardinal. In her personal-best performance in front of 12,218 fans, Ionescu also became the Ducks’ all-time leading scorer, reaching 2,265 career points.
The Ducks suffered from a slow offensive start and the Cardinal fought for the lead with the first seven points of the third quarter. After falling behind 37-36 to start the second half, Oregon bounced back to lead by 17 at the end of the third. After that, the game was over for the Cardinal; Oregon opened the fourth quarter with a 14-1 run and secured the lopsided victory.
“I think Oregon is the No. 1 team in the country,” VanDerveer said. “They’re the No. 1 team in the country because they execute extremely well offensively.”
Oregon and Stanford met again on Feb. 24 in Palo Alto. Ionescu started her day in Los Angeles, speaking at the Bryant family’s memorial service. After an emotional morning, the senior made history by becoming the first player in male or female NCAA basketball history to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
Ionescu led the Ducks with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, securing her 26th triple double. Satou Sabally contributed 27 points and nine rebounds, securing the 74-66 victory over the Cardinal. The Ducks trailed for only 1:05 of the game.
Oregon’s head coach Kelly Graves said that the Ducks aren’t satisfied with the regular season title — they don’t want to share. They want the championship on Sunday.
“They won the regular season championship, but what did they do in the tournament?” Graves said.
At the end of Saturday’s game against Arizona, the Ducks weren’t sure who they would be matched up against, but Graves stated that Oregon would be ready for either team.
“They’ll get our best shot, whoever we play tomorrow,” Graves said. “They both offer great challenges to us. But if we play our basketball game, we’re the best team. I don’t mind saying that. We just are.”
Tipoff for this historic rivalry between No. 1 seed Oregon and No. 3 seed Stanford is scheduled for 5 p.m. P.T. at Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas.
