(EUGENE, OR) Sabrina Ionescu recorded her latest triple-double as No. 3 Oregon overcame a slow start and went on to a 85-52 rout of No. 12 Arizona on Friday night.
The Oregon senior scored 15 points to go with 11 rebounds and 10 assists to reach double figures in all three statistical categories for the 24th time in her career, adding to her NCAA record.
Ruthy Hebard added 22 points for the Ducks (21-2, 10-1 Pac-12) and Satou Sabally finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, plus six assists in Oregon’s ninth consecutive victory. Taylor Chavez added 17 points in a reserve role.
Cate Reese led Arizona (18-4, 7-4) with 17 points and Ari McDonald added 13, keeping alive her streak of having scored in double figures in her last 59 games, though it matched her season low. The loss ended Arizona’s five-game winning streak and was the worst defeat of the season, by margin, for the Wildcats.
After struggling early, Oregon turned its offense on and outscored the Wildcats 54-28 over the middle two quarters. Oregon shot 53% in the second half.
Oregon led 18-10 after a sloppily played first quarter. Each team committed five turnovers with the Ducks 7 of 19 from the field and the Wildcats 4 of 12.
Not much changed early in the second quarter. In a span of seven possessions, the Ducks missed three shots and had four turnovers and Arizona closed within 20-18 with eight consecutive points.
Chavez, who scored nine points in the first half, put life into Oregon’s offense with a drive to the basket, starting a 16-6 run that included the final 10 points of the second quarter by the Ducks on the way to a 39-22 halftime lead. Sabally finished the half with a 3-pointer that gave her 11 points and Ionescu added 10 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.
Hebard, with her size advantage, scored Oregon’s first eight points of the third quarter and then fed Sabally for a layup that pushed the lead to 53-28, prompting another Arizona timeout.
It didn’t do anything to change the flow of the game, and Oregon upped its lead to 72-38 entering the fourth quarter. All that was left to be decided was whether Ionescu could reach her 24th triple double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to that point.
Ionescu recorded her 10th assist on a pass to Hebard with 6:49 left, before she was pulled from the game.
Arizona will head to Corvallis for Sunday’s game vs. the Beavers.
Press Release courtesy of the Associated Press
