The Oregon Ducks’ star added to her legend status by missing a shot on purpose to get a triple double — and calling out ESPN’s lack of coverage.
Oregon women’s basketball unsurprisingly ran away with its Round of 32 matchup against No. 10-seed Indiana in commanding fashion, 91-68. And nobody stood out like potential No. 1 WNBA draft pick Sabrina Ionescu, who continued to break open her commanding career NCAA triple-doubles lead by notching her 18th. The men’s record is 12 set by Kyle Collinsworth in 2016 in his fourth season — Ionescu is yet to finish her third season.
This triple-double was unlike the others, though. With just more than two minutes left to play, Ionescu was stuck at nine rebounds. That wasn’t enough. So she said the hell with fate, and put extra spin on a three-point shot to ensure she could grab her own board and finish with maybe her final triple-double in front of the home crowd.
Here’s the shot:
Sabrina Ionescu gets a Triple Double in the Round of 32 vs Indiana @ncaawbb @OregonWBB @espn
— Colby Chuck (@ColbyChuck) March 25, 2019
29 PTS
12 AST
10 REB pic.twitter.com/nTbVrDZGJK
And yes, the 44-percent three-point shooter admitted that this was on purpose.
Sabrina Ionescu said she missed the last shot so she could get the triple double pic.twitter.com/JTreByLB2o
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) March 25, 2019
Reporter: Did you miss that last one on purpose?
Ionescu: A little bit. I knew exactly where it was gonna go so I was like ‘let me just kinda add a little bit more rotation on this shot so I can get it back.’
Ionescu called out ESPN’s lack of coverage after the game
“It’s awesome to get [a triple-double] in the tournament. Probably still won’t get recognized because ESPN never recognizes women’s sports who are getting triple-doubles. But I’m happy I was able to do it in front of the home crowd with everyone supporting me.”
Here’s the full video:
It was @oregonwbb guard Sabrina Ionescu’s triple-double performance on Sunday, that sealed the fate of the @IndianaWBB. Ionescu had 29 points, 12 assist, and 10 rebounds in a 91-68 win for Oregon, helping them advance to the Sweet Sixteen for a third straight year. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/jpMegTjSfR
— Girls Talk Sports TV (@GrlsTalkSports_) March 25, 2019
Ionescu is the NCAA’s all-time triple-double leader by a wide margin. Not just women’s. ALL of college basketball. Ever.
She averages 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds while shooting 44 percent from range and 87 percent from the free throw line. She’s been the star of a Power-5 basketball school for all three season she’s played, and led Oregon to a No. 2 seed in this tournament with a 31-4 overall record and counting.
She’s seen and done enough, and wants change. There’s certainly enough Ionescu highlight tape to go around:
Sabrina Ionescu with her 18th career triple-double!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 25, 2019
29 PTS, 12 AST, 10 REB, 3 STL@Sabrina_i20 Season Highs:
PTS: 31
AST: 17
REB: 12
STL: 4
3PT: 6
Via @ncaawbb
pic.twitter.com/WjEpgiVOU6
Oregon could really win it all this year
The Ducks’ stars were themselves on Sunday, with Satou Sabally scoring 19 points with eight rebounds, and center Ruthy Hebard nearly double-doubling with eight points and 10 rebounds. Ionescu is the anchor who’ll ultimately take Oregon as far as it can go, but she has elite help. This team is more than just her, even if she is the face of women’s college basketball’s No. 1 offense.
The Ducks were able to knock off title-contender Stanford earlier in the season by 40 points. They also added wins against ranked opponents like UCLA, Utah, Oregon State, and another championship-favorite Mississippi State.
This could be Oregon’s year, and even if you’re late, Ionescu’s dominance is inviting you to hop on the bandwagon right now.
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