Oregon Ducks Fly Into Second Straight Sweet 16

Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard put on a show and led the Oregon Ducks to a 101-73 win over Minnesota on Sunday night.

The Oregon Ducks faced Minnesota on Sunday night at Matthew Knight Arena. Minnesota was the 2018 version of the 2017 Oregon Ducks, playing on the road away from home and looking for respect. Oregon was home and more experienced looking to survive and advance to the Sweet 16.

Minnesota won the opening tip, but Satou Sabally started the night with the first points for Oregon off a jump shot. She followed it with a three-pointer. If the first six minutes were to tell a story, this was going to be a battle. Oregon led 14-11 with 5:30 left in the first quarter. When the Ducks scored, Minnesota answered back.

The Oregon Ducks finished the first half with a 10-0 run with Sabrina Ionescu taking the final shot as time expired. It was a three-pointer and she was fouled. She missed the free throw as Oregon took a 51-36 lead into the locker room. Ionescu at the half had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. In the first half, she broke the Pac-12 Assist record for a single season.

The third quarter saw the Oregon Ducks simply pull away. They outpaced and outplayed Minnesota putting up 31 points in the 10 minute period. Minnesota scored 14 as the Ducks pushed the lead to 82-50 with the final quarter to play. Sabrina Ionescu needed a rebound for a double-double and led all scorers with 28 points.

Head Coach Kelly Graves pulled most of his starters, with the exception of Maite Cazorla for a good part of the fourth quarter. For the game, the Oregon Ducks had an eye-popping 28 assists and 44 points in the paint. Ruthy Hebard finished with a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu finished the game with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists.

Next: Oregon Football Pro Day Recap

Oregon moves onto Spokane and the Sweet 16 and a Third Round Game next weekend.