LAS VEGAS — For a little over six minutes in the first half, it looked like the No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks were going to be heading back to Eugene.
The game opened with a quick 2-point basket from Sabrina Ionescu, but the No. 8 seed Utah Utes quickly took the lead and the Ducks trailed 16-19 after the first quarter. After a rocky start, the Ducks found their footing and reclaimed the lead, and never gave it back. With some help from the bench Oregon handily claimed the second round victory, 79-59.
“Happy for the win,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “A little displeased on how we played. I thought we were inconsistent at times in our effort and our execution. We still won the game. I thought after that first quarter we had it under control the whole time. We just didn’t have that killer instinct tonight and we didn’t put them out when we had a chance.”
The Ducks secured the victory by upping the intensity in the second quarter
For those who tuned into the game after the halftime break, they would have seen a typical Oregon basketball game: Ionescu’s sharp passes, Ruthy Hebard grabbing boards and Satou Sabally driving to the basket, but watching the first half, the first quarter in particular, it was a whole different game.
The Ducks struggled off the bat, shooting 46.7% from the field and trailing 16-19 as they headed into the second quarter. A 9-0 scoring run over two minutes in the early minutes of the second quarter pulled them back into the lead, where they stayed for the remainder of the game.
The last time the Ducks took on the Utes, on Jan. 30 in Salt Lake City, they also struggled in the first quarter before making 12 straight shots in the second, securing a lopsided victory.
After struggling in the first quarter, the Ducks didn’t let up. Oregon’s intensity in the second quarter, which is something it lacked in the first quarter, helped outscore Utah 29-10 in the quarter. The Ducks were 10-for-16 in the second, shooting 62.5% from the floor and 8-for-12 from beyond the arc, shooting 66.7% from the 3-point line.
“Everybody has an opportunity to beat you, and every team will try to do that,” Ionescu said. “We have a target on our back. We have to make sure we play to our level of expectations and we don’t let, you know, us go down or up based on who we’re playing. It’s always about us and what we can control. And now that we have this first game out of the way, I think we’ll keep building from here.”
Ionescu fought through Utah’s relentless defense putting up 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the first half and finished the game leading Oregon in all three categories with 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Jazz Shelley and the Oregon bench step up
Jazz Shelley has made her presence known this whole season, but the freshman stepped it up in a big way against the Utes.
“I think it was helpful for our team,” Shelley said about her performance in Friday’s game. “I definitely think we needed it at that time in the first quarter. We came off to a slow start and it was positive for our team that I came and did that so soon.”
Shelley finished the half with 10 points, going 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line in her 10 minutes on the court.
“I think I’m ready for this and I actually like playing in high pressure games, I think I step up better.” Shelley said.
Head coach Graves has spoken to the talents of the bench before, but they showed in the national spotlight on Friday what they’re capable of. Shelley and Taylor Chavez, Sixth Player of the Year award winner this season, set the tone for the 9-0 scoring run that pulled the Ducks back into the lead.
“I always focus the most on defense because on offense I just try to, when I have an open shot, to shoot it, so mostly I felt really good about my defense today and getting disruptions and talking and trying to change the momentum,” Chavez said.
Chavez finished with eight points, shooting 66% from the 3-point line and contributed two steals and three rebounds.
“Our bench is great,” Hebard said. “I mean today we had Taylor Chavez and Jazz Shelley both come off the bench and give us a huge lift and thanks to them we won. It’s nice to know that we have five, six players that can come in and win the game for us.”
Oregon’s non starters are getting minutes on the court and making the most of them, which is crucial as Oregon goes deeper into March. At the halftime break 15 of Oregon’s points came from off the bench and 20 by the end of the game.
A lot of green and yellow in the crowd
Mandalay Bay Arena was a sea of yellow and green on Friday, one only had to take a quick look around the arena to see how heavily Oregon fans outnumbered those from Utah.
The packed arena is a tribute to the attention the Ducks are gaining. This team went from a lot of empty seats at Matthew Knight Arena four years ago to thousands of fans traveling to Las Vegas to watch them play.
Rob Moseley of GoDucks tweeted on Friday afternoon that the store in the tournament arena was missing Oregon women’s basketball t-shirts. “Apparently they sold out yesterday, got a new shipment this morning and sold out again — in 10 minutes.” Mosely stated in his tweet.
After securing the victory over Utah, the Ducks will be matched up against No. 4 seed Arizona on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Pac-12 Conference tournament.
“We handled Arizona, you know, pretty well at home in our last game,” Graves said. “They gave us — they were a handful at their place. You know, we have seen both against Arizona. They’re going to be — they’re going to be fired up. And I’ll tell you, I thought they looked good tonight. Yeah. We better be ready mentally, we better be ready physically this time of year.
