The No. 3 Ducks defeated No. 12 Arizona, 85-52, in a lopsided win Friday night in Eugene.
Coming off a massive, 18-point victory at No. 4 UConn earlier this week, Oregon made a point of riding its momentum into Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks showed great efficiency on both offense and defense, boasting more-than-healthy stat lines on each side of the court.
The Ducks offense was extremely multi-faceted, with Sabrina Ionescu, Taylor Chavez, Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard all scoring over 15 points apiece.
Chavez, a high-skill player that would likely find herself in the starting five at most other programs, has come into a different role as a Duck. She relishes her ability to come off the bench and help her team win. She did exactly that tonight, dropping 17 points, two steals and a solo rebound on the night.
“I really just try to keep the momentum that’s going and be a spark off the bench,” Chavez said following tonight’s victory.
Although Hebard led Oregon in points, with 22, Ionescu played a particularly large role in the victory, tallying her 24th collegiate triple-double with 10 assists, 15 points and 11 rebounds throughout the night.
For Ionescu, the No. 24 means much more than just a career milestone.
“Definitely a little bit more emotional for this one,” said Ionescu. “I would probably be receiving a text at this time, with him [Kobe Bryant] telling me something or congratulating me. But he’s sending me a text in a different way, so I definitely can hear him.”
The Oregon defense was strong throughout the matchup, forcing 19 turnovers and holding Arizona to only two offensive boards on the night.
The Ducks knew that beating Arizona would mean showing great defensive tenacity. Wildcats’ starting guard Aari McDonald has been dominant throughout the season, putting up an average of 20.8 points per game. Tonight, the Oregon defensive scheme was able to cut McDonald’s role to a minimum, holding her to only 13 points and six assists throughout the game. Wildcats forward Cate Reese led her team in points, tallying 17.
“Overall we tried to take them out of their strength, we tried to contain her [McDonald],” said Ionescu. “And I think we did a really good job of that tonight.”
