Ionescu, Hebard lead No. 8 Oregon women past Arizona 62-44
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) – Sabrina Ionescu totaled 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and Ruthy Hebard added 14 points and six boards to power the No. 8 Oregon women to a 62-44 victory over Arizona on Friday night.
Maite Cazorla scored nine with six assists, two steals and two blocked shots for the Ducks (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12 Conference), who didn’t start to distance themselves from the Wildcats (4-12, 0-5) until an 18-5 run in the third quarter. Oregon has won eight straight.
Sam Thomas topped Arizona with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Kat Wright and JaLea Bennett scored 12 and 10, respectively.
Oregon struggled to find the range on offense, shooting 38 percent (21 of 55) from the floor and 33 percent (12 of 36) from 3-point range, but the Ducks’ defense clamped down and held the Wildcats to 29-percent shooting from the floor, including 3 of 18 from distance (17 percent).
Arizona trailed 27-26 at halftime, but the Wildcats missed their first 12 shots and had five turnovers to open the third quarter. Aina Ayuso hit two straight 3s in the final 68 seconds to give the Ducks a 45-31 lead heading into the final period.
