Oregon’s Women’s Basketball team celebrating their victory against the Mississippi Bulldogs Friday night. (Photo via: @OregonWBB)
April 2, 2019 — The Oregon Women (2) and Men (12) basketball teams have advanced to the Sweet 16 Round, woohoo!
The Women’s basketball team has dominated all season (check out my feature females post if you haven’t), thanks to Sabrin Ionescu. She has been a key component to their success with her impressive 18 triple doubles this season.
The Men’s basketball team challenged the Virginia Cavaliers (1) on Mar. 28, Thursday night. The game was off to a very slow start, both teams were tied at 10 for a while. The Cavaliers missed 12/13 early on from the field and the Ducks failed to convert those mistakes into points. It was truly a rough half to watch; finally SR Ehab Amin hit back to back threes to bring the Ducks up 13-10.
Once everyone, Ducks and Cavs, found their rhythm it was difficult for the Ducks to keep up. They fell behind at the end of the first half with a score of 22-30.
Offensive rebounds were a major negative factor for the Ducks, the Cavs had 11 OR while the Ducks had six. Mamadi Diakite (seven points, 11 rebounds), was the key reason the Ducks fell short in the end. He blocked two shots in the box and played killer defense. Once Louis King (16 points, four rebounds), hit a three and brought the team to lead 42-40, their defensive game was much tighter than before. With about 30 seconds left the Ty Jerome (13 points, six rebounds), had the ball at the top and passed to Kyle Guy (10 points, four rebounds). This forced the defense to the top, leaving De’Andre Hunter (11 points, four rebounds), wide open for an easy lay-up. The Ducks lost 49-53.
Lady Ducks
The Women on the other hand beat South Dakota State 63-53 in Portland, Ore. on Mar. 29, Friday. This was the first time in history the Jackrabbits had made it to the Sweet 16; the loss snapped their 18-game win streak. (ESPN)
“It’s a tough one tonight but that doesn’t take anything away from the phenomenal and special season that this team had this year, and to make it to the Sweet 16 and make history like that is something that none of us are ever going to forget,” said senior guard Madison Guebert. (AP, ESPN)
Moving on to the Elite 8 matchup against Mississippi State, this was a fun game to watch. Both teams played with high energy to win. The Bulldogs have made it to the Final Four the last three years, they lost all three in the championship round. The Ducks lost in the Elite Eight the last two years.
The connection between Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard (14 points, five rebounds), in the first half was automatic; Hebard was getting constant passes in the paint which resulted in points off the backboard. Once the half wrapped up the Ducks were ahead by two, but the fire for the Bulldogs was just beginning.
The shots were raining down from both teams in the second half. Both teams barely missed a shot when they had possession. It was hard for the Ducks to get a stop under the basket, from the middle and the three point line. Anriel Howard (18 points, six rebounds), hit every shot she took from mid-range. Teaira McCowan (19 points, 15 rebounds) was elite under the basket and towered over Hebard by three inches. When the score reached 53-54 Bulldog lead, Coach Kelly Graves called a timeout to reconvene.
After that the Ducks dominated late in the third quarter until the end of the game. Satou Sabally, (22 points, seven rebounds), was another go to option next to Ionescu. She created plays at the top of the arc, which left her open and allowed her to take plenty of shots in the middle. Maite Cazorla (11 points) hit a dagger three on the left side which pretty much ended the game. The Ducks won 88-84.
Ionescu’s performance was insane! She created big plays whenever the team needed a boost. She ended the game with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and a steal.
Sabrina Ionescu’s performance was insane! She created big plays whenever the team needed a boost. She ended the game with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and a steal.
The WBB team plays on Friday afternoon in Tampa, Fl. against the Baylor Lady Bears (1). They haven’t lost since Dec. 15, 2018. The Ducks last lost in March 2019 to Stanford for the PAC-12 title; no pressure. The teams the Lady Bears weren’t up against much of a challenge, since their average winning margin was 38.2. (Northam, M. NCAA.com) I hope all my followers tune in and wear their green and yellow! #Goducks
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