Freshmen lead 10th-seeded Oregon women to upset of Maryland
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Oregon’s young players say they feel excited and loose. They play that way, too.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 21 points, fellow freshman Ruthy Hebard had 16 and the 10th-seeded Ducks continued their improbable run through the NCAA Tournament with a 77-63 victory over Maryland on Saturday.
Oregon (23-13) put five players in double figures on its way to the first regional final in program history. It will play No. 1 seed UConn in the next round on Monday.
“We’re just excited about everything,” Ionescu said. “None of our kids have experienced anything like this. So, I think we’re just excited to advance and be able play another day and see where that takes us.”
Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each had 16 points for third-seeded Maryland, which finishes the season at 32-3.
The Terps, who average more than 90 points a game to lead the nation, were held to their lowest point total this season. They turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 18 Oregon points.
“I just think it was just one of those days,” said guard Destiny Slocum, who finished with nine points and five turnovers. “We kind of lost our game, and I think, even though this was a low-scoring game, we were trying our best, doing anything we could do. I don’t think there’s really an answer for it.”
Oregon coach Kelly Graves, formerly at Gonzaga, said before the game that his young team that starts three freshmen may not know it’s not supposed to be winning. The Ducks became the second No. 10 seed to advance to a regional final, joining the 1991 Lamar team.
“They just continue to show great poise,” Graves said.
Maite Cazorla scored 15 points for Oregon, and reserve Oti Gildon had 11. Lexi Bando finished with 10 points.
Oregon led by nine at halftime and made seven straight shots late in the third quarter to extend its advantage to 59-45.
A steal and basket by Walker-Kimbrough cut the lead to 69-63 with just more than 3 minutes left, capping an 8-0 Maryland run. But Ionescu answered with a basket and the Terps were called for an offensive foul on the other end, ending the threat.
The Terps, who average more than six 3-pointers a game, were 0 for 6 from behind the arc.
“They took the air out of the ball, which was a really smart move by them,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “We’ve seen that in the past. But we didn’t handle it well at all. Then it felt like every time we would get it to within six points, we would have some sort of breakdown, whether it was off of an (offensive) board, whether it was a defensive stop, and then they would break it back open.”
Ionescu had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in the first 20 minutes. She finished with seven assists and six rebounds.
The Terps were able to stay close in the first half thanks to Brionna Jones, who had 10 points and seven rebounds before the break. She finished with 15 boards.