Ionescu notches 25th career triple-double, Oregon beats Cal
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu recorded her NCAA-best 25th career triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as fan and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry sat courtside to support her, leading No. 3 Oregon to its 13th straight win with a 93-61 victory over California on Friday night.
Erin Boley hit six of her eight 3-pointers in the first half on the way to 24 points as the Ducks (25-2, 14-1 Pac-12) closed in on another conference title.
Ionescu shot 7 for 9 in the seventh triple-double of her career that came on the road. She has the most in NCAA history, in the men’s or women’s game. Back home in her native Bay Area, Ionescu received a rousing ovation when introduced before the game and again when she left for good with 4:27 remaining.
After reaching the 1,000 assists mark in last Friday’s 80-66 win at UCLA, Ionescu moved within nine rebounds of becoming the first player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds.
She grew up in nearby Walnut Creek, while coach Kelly Graves spent three seasons from 1997-2000 coaching Saint Mary’s College, close by in Moraga.
Boley shot 8 of 9 from behind the arc to finish one 3 off her career high of nine set at Washington on Jan. 27, 2019.
Jaelyn Brown scored 26 points on 10-for-25 shooting and Cailyn Crocker added 15 points to lead Cal (10-16, 2-13) after the Golden Bears took a 105-55 thumping from the Ducks on Jan. 19 in Eugene. That was Oregon’s second-most points this season and highest total for a conference game.
This time, Oregon hit six of its first eight shots and jumped to a 15-2 lead behind snappy passing and in-your-face, pressure defense.
Ruthy Hebard had 20 points — making 10 of 13 shots — and 15 rebounds for Oregon. She is the reigning Pac-12 and national player of the week after averaging 26 points and 13.5 rebounds in her team’s road sweep of UCLA and USC.
Oregon began its final road trip of the Pac-12 regular season looking to clinch at least a share of its third straight conference title by sweeping of the Northern California schools.
With fourth-ranked Stanford next up Monday at Maples Pavilion, the Ducks already have eight wins over ranked opponents and five against top-10 teams.
CURRY’S SUPPORT
Golden State Warriors star Curry sat courtside on one baseline with daughters Riley and Ryan. Curry said “100 percent” it’s good to support Ionescu and the women’s game.
“Pretty cool, and it’s a great atmosphere, too,” he said.
Curry shook his head as he watched the replay of a three-point play by Ionescu with 2:47 left in the third.
His Warriors teammate, Ky Bowman, and Hall of Famer Chris Mullin also were in the house at Haas Pavilion.
CONFERENCE TITLE CHASE
If the Ducks can win on Stanford’s home floor Monday AND a Stanford loss to Oregon State, Oregon would win the Pac-12 title outright — joining only Stanford as the teams to do so in the league in three consecutive seasons.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon: The Ducks are outscoring opponents by 26.1 points during the winning streak. They led the nation in scoring offense at 85.9 points per game and with their 50.7 field-goal percentage. … Oregon is 10-1 on the road.
Cal: Cal was outdone 48-32 on the boards after the Bears had outrebounded two of their last three opponents, including a commanding 55-39 in a 74-70 overtime loss to UCLA on Feb. 9 and 42-39 last weekend against Utah. … Cal is 7-9 at home.
UP NEXT
Oregon: At third-ranked Stanford on Monday night. The Ducks used a big second half to beat the Cardinal 87-55 on Jan. 16 in Eugene.
Cal: Hosts No. 15 Oregon State on Sunday after losing 81-44 to the Beavers in Corvallis on Jan. 17.
