No. 3 Oregon women roll past UC Riverside 94-44

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) – Ruthy Hebard scored 19 points, and No. 3 Oregon coasted to a 94-44 victory over UC Riverside on Friday in the opener of the Saint Mary’s Thanksgiving Classic.

The Ducks (5-0) led 52-18 at halftime on their way to another lopsided win. They entered with a 33-point average margin of victory, their closest game being a two-point victory over then-No. 18 Syracuse on Nov. 10.

Hebard went 8 for 9 from the field while playing just 18 minutes. Most of Oregon’s starters were out by the fourth quarter.

Sabrina Ionescu, a preseason All-American guard who attended nearby Miramonte High School in Orinda, had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Satou Sabally added 17 points for Oregon.

UC Riverside (2-4) was led by Lauryn Pointer’s nine points. The Highlanders had trouble in the first half handling the Ducks’ pressure defense, committing nine turnovers, and shot just 35 percent (8 for 23) from the floor over the first two quarters.

BIG PICTURE

Oregon: The Ducks did a nice job maintaining their edge and taking care of business despite another no-doubter victory.

UC Riverside: The Highlanders are trying to get ready for Big West play, but are taking their lumps with a challenging nonconference schedule that also included road games at Southern California, BYU and Oklahoma State.

UP NEXT

Oregon plays its second game in the Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday against tournament host Saint Mary’s.

UC Riverside plays Saturday against Milwaukee, which arrived in Moraga having dropped three of its first four.

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