LAS VEGAS — Oregon and UCLA bring out the best of each other in the Pac-12 Tournament.
For the second straight year the Ducks edged the Bruins in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. Ruthy Hebard scored 28 points to lift No. 6 Oregon to an 88-83 overtime victory over the pesky 25th-ranked Bruins on Saturday night.
“Two years in a row we played a classic against them,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “This time again we were able to come out on top. I’m excited and happy we get to play again and play tomorrow for another championship. I’m really proud of our team. Tonight we showed our championship mettle and made plays when we really need to. We played a good basketball game. This was women’s basketball at its highest.”
With the game tied at 83, Satou Sabally made a driving layup with 59 seconds left. UCLA twice had a chance to take the lead, but Kiara Jefferson missed open 3-pointers. Sabally then hit one of two free throws to give the Ducks a three-point lead.
UCLA had one final chance but Kennedy Burke turned the ball over with 3.7 seconds left. Sabrina Ionescu hit two free throws to seal the win after she was fouled. She finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, but was 4-for-19 from the field.
“She had a tough shooting night, maybe forced a few,” Graves said. “Nobody we’d rather have a ball to make a play or free throw. She finds a way to make the play when you need it. It’s nice to know that when she doesn’t have her best game we have other weapons that came through. She’s the straw that’s stirring this drink. She’s the conductor of this orchestra. On the biggest moments you can count on her.”
Top-seeded Oregon (29-3) will face Stanford for the title Sunday night.
With Oregon down two in overtime, UCLA coach Cori Close was called for a technical foul for arguing a non-call. The Ducks hit both free throws and also converted on their next possession to take a two-point lead.
“It’s a game of inches and I wish I hadn’t gotten that T,” an emotional Close said.
