Ducks Re-energized As They Hit Road

Friday, January 6

Stanford, CA

8:00 PM

University of Oregon

Stanford

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

01/05/17 | Women's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley

Oregon Game Notes at Stanford

After two losses last week, the Oregon women attacked practice with renewed vigor entering Friday's game at Stanford (8 p.m., Pac-12).

By: Rob Moseley

The intensity of practice picked up for the Oregon women's basketball team Tuesday, and the timing was no coincidence.

For one, the Ducks are highly motivated to bounce back from their worst performance of the season, a loss Sunday to Washington State that capped an 0-2 start to Pac-12 play. Also, the UO women welcomed back to practice freshman guard Sabrina Ionescu, who has missed the last four games with a hand injury.

UO coach Kelly Graves wants to see how Ionescu handles practices before guaranteeing that she'll play Friday at Stanford (8 p.m., Pac-12). But the Ducks were happy to welcome back a player who is second on the team in scoring average (13.4) and rebounds (6.5), and first in assists (5.2).

"What makes Sabrina important is not just the fact she can, on any given night, get you 25 or 30 points, 10 assists, 15 rebounds," Graves said. "What makes her special is, she plays so hard. Every day, every possession, every moment of the game. She also gives the team confidence if she's on the floor. We go into every game knowing we're going to have, if not the best player on the floor, at least one of the top two best players in the game. And that affects your psyche, affects our work ethic, affects everything."

The Ducks lost last week to Washington without both Ionescu and her fellow starting guard Maite Cazorla, and they were missed on both ends of the floor in a 99-77 loss. The sophomore Cazorla returned from a foot injury Sunday against WSU but suffered for having not practiced since mid-December.

Ionescu returned to practice Tuesday after nearly a month away, so some rust could be evident should she be able to play Friday. But the Ducks will take some rust, if it's accompanied by her typical tenacity.

"(On Tuesday) for the first time in a long time we really defended well," Graves said. "(Ionescu is) probably not the world's greatest on-ball defender. But she anticipates well, she works hard, she makes things happen and that's what we've got to do."

Coming off Sunday's uncharacteristic performance, the Ducks held a film session Monday, but players came in for extra shooting as well. An hour before practice Tuesday, about half the team was already on hand getting in extra work, Graves said.

That backs up players' assertions that they're motivated to regroup quickly from the opening week sweep.

"We've come back really focused and really aggressive," wing Justine Hall said. "Just working hard every day. We're just ready to get better and get a Pac-12 win under our belt."

That will be no small feat at Stanford, which is ranked 10th nationally after a 12-2 start. The Cardinal opened conference play last week with a road sweep of the Arizona schools.

"They just don't make mistakes," Graves said of the Cardinal, who allow less than 54 points per game on .340 shooting. "Stanford never beats themselves. You've got to go down and beat them. So in that regard, it's the same old Stanford."

The Ducks will be expecting the same Stanford team that got off to such a hot start to Pac-12 play last week. Oregon hopes its own performance last week — without its usual guard play — wasn't indicative of what's to come.

"We're going to be up and down; I said that right from the start," Graves said. "It's a young team. We're going to look great some games — and we have — and then some games we're just going to (be flat). And without your two floor generals, it's difficult to keep them up. We had one of those nights the other night."