Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
14-7,3-7Pac-12
Oregon
19-2,9-1Pac-12
Ducks' Efficiency Downs Buffs
February 01, 2020 | Women's Basketball
No. 3 Oregon scored 101-53 win
BOULDER – Colorado was unable to find a solution to No. 3 Oregon and its top star Sabrina Ionescu on Saturday. Ionescu picked up her 23rd career triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, helping the Ducks to the 101-53 win over the Buffaloes.
Oregon (19-2, 9-1 Pac-12) opened the day with 31 points in the first quarter and never looked back. The Ducks shot an even 60.0 percent (39-65) and hit 10 3-pointers in the win. Junior Satou Sabally (17 pts) and graduate transfer Minyon Moore (15 pts) also scored in double figures.
Colorado (14-7, 3-7 Pac-12) got an 18-point effort from sophomore Emma Clarke. She was able to get her game on track in the second half, scoring 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Junior Mya Hollingshed totaled eight of her 11 points in the second half. CU saw its offense improve in the second half, shooting 41.9 percent up from its 25.0 percent effort in the first half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hollingshed got the Buffs on the board, hitting a 3 in CU's first possession. Oregon's Erin Boley immediately answered with a 3 of her own, sparking an 11-0 run for the Ducks. A Clarke layup put an end to the run, but just for that brief moment. Oregon continued to make shots, opening another run to get out to a 21-5 lead. Ionescu totaled 11 points in the quarter on 4-of-6 shooting. The Ducks hit 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) as a team in the opening period, getting a 20-point cushion.
An Aubrey Knight 3-pointer cut UO's lead to 19 (35-16) early in the second quarter, but that was as close as Colorado would get the rest of the way. The Ducks shot 60.0 percent in the quarter and extended the lead to 30, 52-22, by the end of the half.
Ionescu scored seven points and handed out seven assists, snagging her 10th rebound in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter to secure her triple-double. CU had its best offensive performance in the third, scoring 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting (46.7 percent).
KEY STATISTICS: Oregon totaled 21 an opponent-high 21 fast-break points and held Colorado to zero for the first time this season. The Ducks also totaled 27 points off of 17 CU turnovers.
NOTES: 3,669 people were in attendance, the largest crowd since 3,698 against Washington last season (Feb. 24, 2019)…CU's 53 points are the most the Buffs have scored against UO since 55 on Jan. 26, 2018...Oregon's 60.0 field goal percentage was the highest by a CU opponent since Oregon State shot 61.8 percent last season (Feb. 1, 2019)…Oregon's 101 points were the most scored by an opponent at the CU Event Center (prev. 95, Texas A&M, Feb. 27, 2010)…Oregon is also the first opponent to shoot over 60 percent at the CU Events Center since Texas A&M's 63.6 percent (Feb. 27, 2010)…Ionescu's 24 points are the most she's had in her six career games against CU…Oregon shot over 60 percent in each of the first three quarters.
NEXT UP: The Buffs hit the road next week, traveling to the Pacific Northwest. CU will play Washington State on Friday and Washington on Sunday.
QUOTES
Head Coach JR Payne
Overall thoughts
"I don't have a ton to say. I have said from the jump that I think Oregon is the best team in America. They played like it. Except for the first quarter, I thought we competed and stayed together. There was a moment midway through the first where we hung our heads pretty quick and we started to go into ourselves. Some of our upperclassmen brought us back together and we stayed together. We competed on the glass really well. I thought we got great looks, a lot of layups and 3-point shot attempt looks. We just didn't knock them down the way we needed to. There are some good things that we can take from this game even though the score was awful and all of that. There are things that we can take that were good and areas where we can get better."
On CU's struggles with Oregon
"I think they are the best team in the country. I don't know what it is. If we play them again in the tournament that is something we really need to figure out. What is it about this team, besides that they are just good? There are a lot of great teams that we have been very competitive with. Transition defense continues to hurt us. It hurt us tonight at the rim and from the 3-point line. I think we are going to go back and watch the film and tally layups. I think we had a lot of good looks at the basket that we didn't finish. We have to be able to shoot higher than 33 percent and be able to capitalize on offensive rebounds because that is something we are very good at. 20 offensive rebounds against a team that is huge at every position is fantastic, but we need more than 14 points to show for it. There are certain things that we can do better."
On Sabrina Ionescu
"She is hard to guard because she can do everything. She has incredible vision and can rebound. She had five offensive rebounds. The shots that she does miss, which aren't many, she offensive rebounds. She just does a little bit of everything, so it is hard to guard. She is a big, strong and physical guard that can shoot the 3 and rebound. She is tough."
On the attendance
"I think it is great. Anytime you can bring young children into a venue where you can watch great female basketball is fantastic. I don't care if they came for Sabrina or us, I am excited that 3,700 people in the stands got to see their Buffs play. I think it's great. We'd love to see more like that."
Sophomore Emma Clarke
On playing a team like Oregon
"We were really excited coming in because it's a great opportunity for all of us. They're No. 3 team in the country. So yeah, we were excited. It's good to test what we've been working on day in day out in practice. It's fun, but it's hard because we know that there's going to be adversity. It's just how we respond to that."
On her 12 points in the second half
"I was just like, 'let me just play basketball.' I wasn't thinking about the stats or their points too much. I wasn't trying to hang my head. I was just like, 'I'm just going to be aggressive.' I attacked the basket a lot more than I usually do. I was just experimenting. I thought it was a good game, especially in the second half to experiment and see where I can get better."
