Hebard scores 30 as No. 9 Oregon beats Washington 76-63
SEATTLE (AP) – Ruthy Hebard dominated on the interior while scoring 14 of her career-high 30 points in the third quarter, and No. 9 Oregon pulled away for a 76-63 win over Washington on Friday night.
The Ducks (22-4, 11-2 Pac-12) rebounded from last Sunday’s home loss to No. 17 Stanford and overmatched the Huskies on the inside. With the Ducks struggling to hit from the perimeter in the first half, Oregon went almost exclusively to Hebard to start the third quarter. She responded by making 6 of 7 shots in the quarter and helping Oregon build an 18-point lead. The Ducks’ lead reached 28 in the final minutes.
Hebard made 13 of 15 shots overall, most of them within a couple feet of the basket. The 6-foot-4 sophomore was part of an Oregon front line that outscored Washington 46-18 in the paint and made up for a quiet night by Sabrina Ionescu, the leading scorer in the Pac-12 at 19.9 points per game. Ionescu was 2 of 6 shooting and finished with 10 points.
Oregon has won four of the past five matchups against its rivals to the north.
Washington (7-17, 1-12) lost its fifth straight and simply didn’t have the size to counter Oregon in the paint. Amber Melgoza led the Huskies with 21 points and Mai-Loni Henson added 16.
Hebard topped her career high set last season when she had 29 points against UCLA. She added 14 rebounds as Oregon outrebounded Washington 44-30.
Washington made things interesting for a half, rallying from an early deficit to take a 22-19 lead on Melgoza’s three-point play early in the second quarter. Washington led 25-20 minutes later on Hannah Johnson’s 3-pointer, but Oregon closed the half on a 13-2 run and led 33-27 at the break.
Oregon blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Washington 27-15.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon: The Ducks have won 11 games in conference play for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when they finished 12-6 overall.
Washington: Melgoza continues to shine even in a difficult season for the rebuilding Huskies. The sophomore entered the week fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game. She made 9 of 18 shots on Friday.
UP NEXT
Oregon: The Ducks face Washington State on Sunday.
Washington: The Huskies host No. 16 Oregon State on Sunday.
