Utes Up Next Sunday in MKA

EUGENE, Ore. - Fresh off a dominant win over Colorado on Friday in its Pac-12 opener, the No. 2 ranked Oregon women's basketball team will be back in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday to host Utah at 2 p.m.

Game Details
Matchup: #2 Oregon (11-1, 1-0) vs. Utah (7-6, 0-2)
Date: Sunday, January 5, 2020
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Venue: Matthew Knight Arena
Opening Tip: 2:06 p.m. PT
Doors Open: 1:00 p.m.

Broadcast Information
TV: Pac-12 Network
PxP: Ann Schatz | Analyst: Elise Woodward
Radio: Oregon Sports Network
PxP: Terry Jonz | Analyst: Bev Smith

Ducks Overwhelm Buffs In P12 Opener
The Ducks opened Pac-12 play with a statement win over Colorado on Friday, using explosive offense and suffocating defense in a 104-46 rout of the then-undefeated Buffs. Oregon was led by its "Big Three" of Sabrina Ionescu (21 P, 7 A, 6 R), Ruthy Hebard (21 P, 5 R, 3 B) and Satou Sabally (17 P, 3 R, 3 S), while also getting 33 points from its bench. The Ducks shot 58.0 percent from the floor while holding the Buffs to just a 26.7 mark, and Oregon matched its season-high with 21 forced turnovers.

Ionescu Reaches 900 Career Assists
Sabrina Ionescu continued her year of milestones with another big one in Friday's win over Colorado. With seven assists, the senior superstar hit 900 even for her career to become just the 12th player in the history of NCAA women's basketball to join the 900 assists club. Ionescu is the first player in UO and Pac-12 history to get to 900 asissts, and she needs only three more to into the NCAA all-time top 10.

Hebard Joins 2K Club
Ruthy Hebard reached a big milestone on Friday, becoming just the fifth player in Oregon history to surpass 2,000 career points, joining teammate Sabrina Ionescu. Hebard enters Sunday's game with 2,006 points, and she is the only active NCAA player to have 2,000+ career points and 1,000+ career rebounds (1,094). Hebard is one of only 12 players in Pac-12 history to reach the 2,000/1,000 milestone.

Series History
The Ducks own an 18-9 lead in the all-time series with Utah, having won the last seven meetings. Oregon has not lost to Utah since 2/20/15, a 66-64 loss in Salt Lake City. The Ducks won the lone meeting in 2018-19, picking up a 87-65 victory in Eugene against the then-No. 14 Utes. Satou Sabally led the way with 20 points, and Ruthy Hebard had 16.

About The Utes
Utah is off to a 7-6 start while dropping its first two Pac-12 games, 80-70 to Colorado and 77-48 at No. 3 Oregon State. Averaging 70.8 points per game, the Utes are led by Lola Pendande (12.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG) and Brynna Maxwell (11.8 PPG), and Dru Gylten directs the offense with 4.8 APG. Pendande is also the Utes' rim protector with a team-high 19 blocked shots this season.

Make It 21: Sab Goes Back-to-Back
Sabrina Ionescu leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season, raising her NCAA all-time record to 21 as the senior enters the homestretch of her storied career. Ionescu has recorded a triple-double in two straight games to close out 2019 - posting 16 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and 12 assists on 12/16/19 vs. UC Riverside before going off for 21 points, 10 rebounds and 11 rebounds on 12/21/19 vs. Kansas State - marking the third time in her career she has reached the milestone in back-to-back games. Ionescu notched her 20th triple-double in her 119th career game, putting her behind only NBA legend Oscar Robertston as the fastest in NBA/WNBA/NCAA DI history to reach 20 career triple-doubles. Ionescu is nearly averaging a triple-double on the season, with marks of 15.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 9.0 assists per game.

Ionescu, Moore Lead Dyanamic Offense
The Ducks boast the nation's most dynamic and efficient offense, which is navigated by senior guards Sabrina Ionescu and Minyon Moore. Oregon leads the NCAA with a 1.94 assist-to-turnover ratio, with Moore ranking second nationally at 4.29 and Ionescu third at 3.38. The Ducks are second in the country with 22.8 assist per game behind Ionescu's NCAA-leading 9.0 APG, and Moore is in the national top 40 as well at 5.0 APG. UO leads the Pac-12 and is No. 7 nationally with 11.8 turnovers per game.

Talk About Home Court Advantage
The Ducks are a perfect 7-0 at home this season, outscoring their opponents by an average of 44.7 points per game, and one of the biggest reasons for UO's home success is the team's popularity in and around Eugene. Oregon is No. 2 in the nation this season in average attendance (9,743) and No. 4 in total attendance (68,200), and those figures don't even include the 11,530 fans who came to watch the Ducks take down the USA Women's National Team on 11/9/19, or the 9,447 who attended the 12/28/19 exhibition game against Corban. The Ducks led the Pac-12 in average attendance in 2018-19 with a program-best 7,174 fans per home game.

Heating Up From Deep
Oregon struggled a bit from three-point range to open the season, but the Ducks have found their stroke from beyond the arc as of late. After shooting just 32.7 percent (74-226) from deep through the season's first seven games, the Ducks have shot a solid 44.7 percent (51-114) in their last five contests, including a 14-of-24 (58.3%) day on 12/8/19 vs. South Dakota State. As a team, Oregon entered that South Dakota State game ranked 125th in the nation in three-point percentage, and the Ducks have flown up the rankings to No. 26 entering Sunday's game at 36.8 percent on the season, the top mark in the Pac-12. Individually, freshman Jaz Shelley leads the Ducks with a 46.4 mark from beyond the arc, tied for 17th-best in the NCAA.

Ramping Up The Defensive Intensity
The Ducks are clearly one of the nation's premiere offensive teams, but they have made it a point over the last few games of turning up the intensity on the defensive end as well. Oregon has held five straight teams to under 60 points, including three to 46 points or less, and have recorded 43 total steals and 17 blocked shots in the last four games. The Ducks' defensive improvement was sparked by a new three-quarter court press implemented during the South Dakota State game, when the Ducks held the Jackrabbits to just 37.2 percent shooting while forcing 13 turnovers, including 10 in the first half. Oregon matched its season-high with 21 forced turnovers in Friday's Pac-12 opener, and the Ducks are up to No. 26 nationally in scoring defense at 55.3 PPG.

Dominating in the Paint
The Ducks have been unstoppable in the paint this season, outscoring its opponents down low in every game so far with a whopping 218-point advantage. Oregon's most dominant night in the paint came in Friday's Pac-12 opener against Colorado, when the Ducks outscored the Buffs by a whopping 40 points (56-16).

Up Next
Oregon will hit the road next weekend to face Arizona State (Jan. 10) and Arizona (Jan. 12) in the desert.