SEATTLE — As Oregon women’s basketball heads into the program’s first ever Pac-12 Tournament championship game appearance, the team has one thought on its mind: payback.

During the regular season, Oregon lost to Stanford 78-65 at home — the Ducks’ only home court loss all year long. On Sunday, they’ll get a second chance to take on the Cardinal, and this time, it’s for the grand prize of Pac-12 Tournament Champions.

“We would definitely like another shot at them,” Oregon sophomore guard Sabrina Ionescu said. “I don’t think we played our best game. So that was kind of a hard pill to swallow to lose to them.”

No. 1 seed Oregon got through a grueling semifinal game with No. 4 seed UCLA on Saturday while No. 2 seed Stanford walked over No. 6 seed Arizona State, which upset Oregon State on Friday in the quarterfinal.

Brittany McPhee, who punished Oregon in the regular season game by scoring the final 17 points of a 33-point performance, was quiet in Stanford’s 58-46 win over the Sun Devils, scoring just three points on 1-of-6 shooting. Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said that McPhee has been battling a head cold.

“It will be a big challenge for her but we have confidence that she’ll come out in the big game for tomorrow,” VanDerveer said.

In the regular season matchup, Oregon knew what was coming against McPhee, with head coach Kelly Graves calling it at halftime, when the Ducks led 41-32 and McPhee had just two points.

“We said, ‘No. 12 is gonna come out ‘cause she didn’t do much in the first half,’” Graves said. “We figured that she was gonna do what she did.”

In that loss, Oregon shot 40 percent from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, which Stanford converted into 21 points.

McPhee’s dominant shooting may have taken a break against Arizona State in the semifinal on Saturday, but that was picked up by guard Kiana Williams, who shot 9-of-11 — 6-of-7 from 3 — for 24 points. Thirteen more points were added by Alanna Smith, which helped allow Stanford to rest players for the end of the game as Arizona State went on a 16-2 run to close the game.

“We’re not gonna rest anybody tomorrow. We gotta bring it,” VanDerveer said. “Everybody’s gotta be ready to go.”

Coached by the legendary head coach VanDerveer, Stanford has won 12 of the 16 ever Pac-12 women’s basketball tournaments, including seven in a row from the 2006-07 season through the 2012-13 season.

The Ducks could be without freshman forward and Pac-12 freshman of the year Satou Sabally, who left the game against UCLA with an injury. Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said he doesn’t know if she’ll be able to play.

“Oregon brings you the ultimate challenge in that they have a great outside game and a great inside game,” VanDerveer said. “I think that they’re a legitimate top-10 team and we’re gonna have to play very well to beat them again.”

The Ducks will be in for a tough test against the Cardinal but Oregon’s desire for revenge could be what it takes to take down Stanford.

“I’m so excited,” Oregon sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard said. “I’m hoping for Stanford.”

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SEATTLE — UCLA had possession down three points with only seconds to play in the game.

Oregon forced the Bruins to keep the ball outside of the 3-point arc, and UCLA star guard Jordin Canada passed the ball off in the final seconds to Japreece Dean, who launched up a desperation, buzzer-beating attempt that missed.

“We were trying to get isolation for a 3 or a quick drive to the basket,” Canada said. “I just didn’t make a good decision down the stretch.”

The Ducks celebrated like they had won a championship, rushing the court with even head coach Kelly Graves leaping into the air.

But that was just the game to get there.

“I don’t typically get that emotional, but that was a heck of a game,” Graves said.

No. 1 seed Oregon played yet another thriller against No. 4 seed UCLA this season, but this time, a first ever Pac-12 Tournament championship game appearance was on the line for the Ducks. After a rough start for Oregon, the Ducks kept it close until late in the game when a fourth quarter 10-0 run got them the narrow, come-from-behind 65-62 win.

UCLA held a 62-55 lead with five minutes, 28 seconds left. Oregon hadn’t led since the third quarter, but the Ducks’ 10-0 run, coupled with the Bruins’ 0-for-7 shooting to close out the game, dashed UCLA’s chances at reaching the title game.

The Ducks led 63-62 when guard Sabrina Ionescu dribbled the ball up the court, dragging away UCLA defenders. She flashed the ball across the key to a wide open junior forward Oti Gildon to create the three-point lead.

“I don’t know how I got open, but I got open and was lucky enough to make the basket,” Gildon said.

Oregon Ducks forward Satou Sabally (0) is helped to her feet by members of the Oregon staff. The Oregon Ducks face the UCLA Bruins in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash. on Saturday, March 3, 2018. (Adam Eberhardt/Emerald)

But, as Oregon came out the victors, the Ducks might have lost a key piece to the puzzle in freshman forward Satou Sabally, who left the game with an injury. Graves says he doesn’t know if she’ll be back, saying “she’s not feeling so good.”

It was a rocky start for Oregon, which went down 5-0 early and trailed by as much as 13 in the second quarter.

With 4:22 left in the first half and UCLA up 32-19, Oregon began to turn on the heat. The Ducks narrowed the gap by halftime thanks to some defense and 3-pointers from guards Maite Cazorla, Ionescu and Lexi Bando.

“I thought that was the key to the game in a lot of ways, just because it gave us a little bit of momentum going in,” Graves said. “I thought the first half we were as poor offensively as we’ve been.”

Bando hit 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, breaking Oregon’s 3-point record with the 271st deep shot of her career.

“Well Sabrina’s going to pass it next year,” Bando said, jokingly. “But it’s all about the team.”

Bando is 9-of-14 from 3-point range during the Pac-12 Tournament. She and the Ducks will have to prepare for either No. 2 seed Stanford or No. 6 seed Arizona State.

“I’m so excited,” sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard said. “I’m hoping for Stanford.”

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SEATTLE — Following Oregon women’s basketball’s 84-47 win over Colorado on Friday, the Ducks had the rest of the day to occupy themselves. Of course, some of it was spent watching the game that directly followed theirs, which would produce their next opponent.

The team sat in the corner of the stands at Key Arena to watch No. 4 seed UCLA take on the No. 5 seeded California Golden Bears. UCLA was the heavy favorite.

“Let’s go Cal,” junior guard Maite Cazorla said following the Ducks’ game.

Cazorla, and Oregon’s wish, didn’t come true.

No. 6 Oregon will face No. 9 UCLA on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the first of two semifinals in the Pac-12 Tournament. The No. 1 seeded Ducks defeated UCLA twice during the regular season, including an overtime thriller at Matthew Knight Arena less than a month ago.

“I thought last game we didn’t come out with a lot of energy,” UCLA guard Jordin Canada said. “We were behind in every play, and we were playing lackadaisical, and that allowed them to get on the runs.”

The Ducks will know what’s coming in UCLA, which went 14-4 in conference play this year. The Bruins are led by Canada, who averaged 16.3 points per game this season. Canada scored 27 in UCLA’s win on Friday over Cal.

The last time these two teams played, UCLA was coming off a defeat at Oregon State and the Ducks had just defeated USC in double-overtime. But, that didn’t stop Satou Sabally, who went 7-of-9 from 3-point range against UCLA. Against Colorado on Friday, she was 5-of-7 behind the arc.

The Ducks will continue to look to 3-point shooting, which proved to be a success against Colorado in the hands of Sabally and Lexi Bando as Oregon shot 48.1 percent from deep.

“UCLA’s really athletic,” Bando said. “They are a tough matchup for us. They play aggressive, they get into you. We’ve gotten better at that. We’ll just have to be on our A-game tomorrow.”

On Friday, UCLA faced a resistant Cal side that fought the entire game but fell short, losing 77-71 to the Bruins. Cal was haunted by fouls, having 24 against while UCLA was called 16 times.

UCLA did have scorers to help Canada. Forward Monique Billings and guard Kelli Hayes each scored 18 points but the Bruins shot 36 percent as a team.

Oregon will have to be careful on turnovers, which UCLA can capitalize on as they did in the 21 points scored off of turnovers on Friday against Cal. The Ducks turned the ball over 12 times against the Buffs, who scored just 10 points in the following plays.

Regardless, the matchup is worthy of the championship game, but it falls in the bracket in the form of a semifinal. This season’s games have proven to be classics and Saturday’s showdown should be somewhere on similar stature.

“I think both teams are really poised to make really deep runs in the NCAA Tournament,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said. “But we have a very competitive group. I think it’s which team can learn from those past situations, put into place small adjustments. Players make plays in March.”

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SEATTLE — One month ago, guard Lexi Bando sat on the bench and watched as the then-No. 6 Oregon women’s basketball team beat California 91-54 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.

Today, she started for the No. 1 seeded Ducks in the quarterfinal of the Pac-12 Tournament. She didn’t sit back and watch.

“It’s so hard to see your team and you wish you could do something, but they did great without me and I’m just really happy to be back on the court,” Bando said.

Bando scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, all from 3-point range, in the Ducks’ 84-47 win over the Colorado. Her performance allowed sophomores Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu to lay off the gas pedal for most of the game and showed just how vital Bando is to the Ducks.

“It sure is nice having Lexi Bando back,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “It just spreads that floor so much. It makes us a lot more difficult to guard.”

After Bando missed seven straight games with a leg injury during the heart of Pac-12 play, the Ducks managed to fill her void with a tweak in the lineup.

Center Mallory McGwire filled into a starting role for Oregon and gave Oregon the advantage of height. The Ducks lost some momentum with deep shots but with Bando coming back in mid-February, the 3-ball followed.

Bando began knocking down shots from deep again. Since returning against Washington State, a game she scored nine points in — all from 3 — Bando has continued her season average of 10 points per game.

When Bando plays in games against conference opponents, Oregon is undefeated this year — the Ducks’ two conference losses came against Oregon State and Stanford, both games Bando missed.

“I think that someone had mentioned that to me but I don’t really know much about that,” Bando said.

When the Pac-12 Tournament rolled around this weekend, Bando’s consistency from 3-point range continued. Colorado head coach JR Payne appeared frustrated every time the Buffs left Bando any room to shoot from beyond the arc.

“Threes, 3s, and more 3s. The thing I love about Lexi is not just her ability to shoot the ball, but I love that she loves the big shot,” Payne said. “She’s playing like a senior.”

For Bando, that senior mentality means “doing the right thing” and “not doing too much.” That was exactly what Bando did against Colorado.

She took just two shots in the third quarter, both made 3s. Bando only played five minutes in the second half as the Ducks ran away with the quarterfinal matchup.

As favorites for the tournament, the Ducks have all eyes on them, something Bando hasn’t seen in her four years as part of the program. Last year, Oregon, the sixth-seed, defeated No. 3 seed Washington in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament ahead of the team’s run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

“We know if you’re a No. 1 team you can get upset and the seeding doesn’t matter,” Bando said. “Everyone in March is playing their best. Tomorrow, we’re just going to have to come out ready because if you lose, you’re done.”

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Oregon women’s basketball’s Satou Sabally is the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

Sabally, from Germany, worked her way into the Ducks’ starting lineup this season in which she has shot at 46.7 percent and 36.3 percent from 3-point range as a forward.

Sabally follows Ionescu, who won the Freshman of the Year award last year. Ionescu won Pac-12 Player of the Year earlier this evening.

Sabally’s career-high points came in Oregon’s win over UCLA at Matt Knight Arena earlier this month when Sabally scored 25 points.

Next season, Sabally’s younger sister, Nyara, will join her in Eugene.

The No. 1-seed Ducks take on the winner of Colorado or Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament on Friday.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon women’s basketball guard Sabrina Ionescu is the Pac-12 Player of the Year, announced at the Pac-12’s first All-Conference Awards Show on Tuesday.

Ionescu, a sophomore, is the triple-double NCAA career record holder with nine in just two seasons of play. She shot 45.6 percent this year while averaging 6.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game.

Ionescu is also a semifinalist for the Naismith National Player of the Year, making her one of the top 10 players in the country. She and UCLA’s Jordin Canada are the only representatives of the Pac-12.

Ionescu broke onto the scene last year as a freshman when she recorded four triple-doubles, more than any freshman has ever recorded. Her clutch mentality saw her score a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Cal in her freshman season as she helped lead the Ducks to an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Now, as a sophomore, Ionescu has lifted Oregon to new heights as Pac-12 regular season champions for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

No. 1-seeded Oregon opens its Pac-12 Tournament play on Friday against either Colorado or Utah.

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After dropping two straight competitive games and an exhibition against Japan, No. 5 Oregon softball defeated No. 7 LSU on Sunday and added another win against San Jose State in the afternoon to conclude the Mary Nutter Classic.

The Ducks shut out LSU 4-0 with Miranda Elish in the circle. She pitched the full seven innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 to collect her fifth win of the season as she goes 5-0 with a .180 ERA.

DJ Sanders hit her seventh home run of the season in the top of the second to give Oregon a 2-0 lead. That lead was added to in the third when Gwen Svekis hit a two-RBI single.

The Ducks and Tigers went scoreless for the remaining four innings as Oregon held on for its first top-10 win of the season.

In the second game of the day, Oregon beat San Jose State 1-0, but the Ducks scored six runs in the seventh inning that did not count due to a pregame agreement to call the game at the two-hour mark, which came with one out in the bottom of the seventh while the score read 7-0.

The Ducks sole official run came in the second inning when Shaye Bowden scored Svekis on a single to left field.

Junior pitcher Megan Kleist got the start in the circle, recording her fourth win of the season — she’s now 4-2 on the year. Kleist pitched 5.1 innings in which she allowed three hits while walking one and striking out four. Elish replaced her for 0.2 innings and struck out one without allowing a walk or hit.

Oregon is now 12-3 on the season as the Ducks head to Tampa, Florida, for a two-game series against South Florida on March 1 before a trip to Tallahassee for the Unconquered Invitational.

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No. 8 Oregon women’s basketball clinched its first Pac-12 title in 18 years after the Ducks beat Arizona 74-61 on Sunday in Tucson, Arizona.

The Ducks last won the conference title in the 1999-2000 season when the conference was still the Pac-10. Oregon will get the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament this upcoming weekend in Seattle.

“It’s unreal what Kelly [Graves] and the staff has done in 4 years,” Lexi Bando, who was Graves’ first recruit, told the Pac-12 Network after the win over the Wildcats. “It’s unbelievable. I’m so proud.”

Against Arizona, Oregon was once again led by sophomore Ruthy Hebard, who went 8-of-13 for 24 points while also collecting nine rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu added 16 points, seven rebounds and eight assists and Bando scored 15 points in the win.

Oregon took the lead early and led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter. Oregon then continued to score, amounting a 10-2 run to take a 23-13 lead. The Ducks had a 33-23 halftime lead with Hebard leading the way with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Oregon’s lead in the third began to diminish as the quarter concluded, but the Ducks still possessed a 54-41 lead heading into the final quarter. Arizona got within a 63-57 lead after a 14-6 run, but Oregon pulled away to hold on for the win thanks to three Bando 3-pointers in the final seven minutes of the game.

The Ducks finish the season 27-4 and 16-2 in Pac-12 play, the most wins the team has had in one season. Oregon’s outright title win comes on the back of a turnaround in the program over the past few years.

Back in 2013, the Ducks finished 2-16 in conference play, now they end the year 16-2 in Pac-12 in head coach Graves’ fourth year in charge.

Oregon has seen leadership spark from the underclassmen in sophomores Hebard, Ionescu and Mallory McGwire, as well as freshman Satou Sabally.

Ionescu and Hebard both hold NCAA records before finishing their second seasons in Eugene. Ionescu nine triple-doubles and Hebard possessed a streak of 33 straight made field goals.

“It’s an honor,” Ionescu told the Pac-12 Network following the game. “We worked hard for this … but we’ve still got work to do.”

Oregon will head to Seattle later this week to play in the Pac-12 Tournament, which helped inspire the team’s run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament last season.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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No. 5 Oregon softball has lost two straight games after dropping a 1-0 game on Saturday against No. 11 Tennessee in the Mary Nutter Classic. The Ducks also lost an exhibition game to the Japanese national team 17-5 — the loss won’t count against the Ducks’ record.

Against Tennessee, the Ducks went down in the first inning on an RBI double from Meghan Gregg.

Maggie Balint was given the loss, her first of the year, taking her record to 3-1. She pitched four innings, allowed six hits and one run while striking out three. Miranda Elish replaced Balint to pitched the fifth and sixth innings.

Oregon’s Mia Camuso went 2-for-2 in the loss while Jenna Lilley went 1-for-3.

The Ducks then played the Japanense national team.

Oregon went up 5-0, part of which was thanks to a Mia Camuso three-run home run. But, Oregon went on to allow 17 unanswered runs against the No. 2 national team in the world.

Elish, who started, and Balint, who relieved her, each played two innings. Olivia Kinsey came in to pitch the final three innings of the game. Megan Kleist saw no action on Saturday after pitching in Oregon’s loss to Texas A&M on Friday.

The Ducks take on No. 7 LSU and San Jose State tomorrow to conclude the Mary Nutter Classic before Oregon travels to Tampa, Florida, to play two games against South Florida on March 1.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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On this episode of the Emerald World Soccer Podcast, Shawn Medow is joined by Matt Tyra and Austin Cracraft. The trio discuss recent UEFA Champions League matchups, Europa League matchups, Manchester City’s failure in the club’s quest for the quadruple and the current state of the English Premier League.

This episode was produced by Alec Cowan.

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