Happy homecoming for Ducks’ Ionescu
Former East Bay girls basketball prep star Sabrina Ionescu picked a good time to deliver her best game of the season.
Oregon’s All-American point guard scored a season-high 27 points, and the No. 3 Ducks beat Saint Mary’s 79-55 on Saturday in the Saint Mary’s Thanksgiving Classic.
Ionescu, a junior who went to high school in nearby Orinda, enjoyed a terrific homecoming weekend. The Ducks (6-0) routed UC Riverside on Friday before cruising by the host Gaels (3-2), and Ionescu was named the tournament’s MVP.
She left 35 tickets for friends and family over the two days, and there were many more on hand wearing Oregon gear.
“It was awesome, just being able to play at home in front of the crowd,” Ionescu said. “I had elementary school teachers that I haven’t talked to since I graduated. Elementary school classmates, so it was just awesome.”
Megan McKay led Saint Mary’s with 12 points, and Sydney Raggio added 11 points. They each had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Ionescu scored 17 to help the Ducks to a 36-26 lead at the break. Oregon held Saint Mary’s to 31 percent shooting (11 for 35) over the first two quarters.
NO. 8 STANFORD 71, AMERICAN 49 >> Alanna Smith scored a season-high 25 points, and the Cardinal rolled to the win in the second day of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu. Dijonai Carrington added 13 points for the Cardinal (5-0), which never trailed and led by as many as 22 points. Elina Koskimies led the Eagles (3-2) with 13 points.
Stanford shot 41.9 from the field to American’s 37 percent and won the rebounding battle, 40 to 25. NO. 18 CAL 70, SAN DIEGO 53 >> Kristine Anigwe scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Bears (60) capped their San Diego Thanksgiving Tournament by beating the host Toreros. Sydney Shepard hit a 3-pointer with :01 left in the first half to pull San Diego even at intermission at 29-29.
Asha Thomas made two layups, Jaelyn Brown hit two free throws to push Cal into a 37-30 advantage early in the third quarter, and an Anigwe jumper with 2:15 left made it 44-34. Anigwe hit 10 of 16 from the field and 5 of 10 from the line and was the lone Bear to reach double figures, but Cal had 10 players figure in the scoring and got 24 points from its bench.
Madison Pollock put up 19 points for San Diego (23), with Sydney Hunter adding 13.
NO. 1 NOTRE DAME 91, NO. 9 OREGON STATE 81 >> Jacki Young scored 23 points, and the Irish claimed the Vancouver (British Columbia) Showcase championship, rallying for a victory over the Beavers. Oregon State (6-1) led for the first three quarters, but the Irish (6-0) drew even early in the fourth and pulled away. SANTA CLARA 77, MISSOURI STATE 73 >> The Broncos (5-1), off to their best start since a 6-1 start to the 2011-12 season, got a big game from Ashlyn Herlihy who scored a game-high 24 points. Lauren Yearwood also had a big day with a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) while adding four blocks.
partan Notch First Win Of The Year With 82-72 Victory
SAN JOSE STATE 82, CSU BAKERSFIELD 72 >> Fieme’a Hafoka (1-3) paced the Spartans to their first win of the season with a careerhigh 14 points, while Cydni Lewis, Megan Anderson and Raziya Potter had 12 each, and Danae Marquez finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Men
HARVARD 74, SAINT MARY’S 68 >> Malik Fitts scored 27 points to lead the Gaels (33) in the loss to the Crimson. Jordan Hunter and Tanner Krebs each added 11 points.
Henry Welsh, pressed into a starting role with Harvard’s leading scorer out, scored 15 points to lead the win and cap a four-game road swing. Harvard’s leading scorer, Chris Lewis, did not play against the Gaels after leading the Crimson with 16 points in a 61-57 loss to USF earlier this week.
SANTA CLARA 71, SAN JOSE STATE 63 >> Tahj Eaddy set career highs with six 3-pointers and 23 points, and the Broncos (1-4) went on the road to get their first win of the season. The Broncos (1-4) trailed by as many as nine early before taking control with a 15-5 run to end the first half up 38-35. Santa Clara never trailed in the second half.
Michael Steadman led the Spartans (1-5) with 21 points.
USF 84, DARTMOUTH 65 >> A 19-2 run in the second half helped the Dons (6-0) run away from the Big Green at Memorial Gym. Frankie Ferrari scored a team-high 19 points, while dishing out seven assists. The 6-0 USF start is the best under head coach Kyle Smith and is the second best start since the Dons opened the year 10-0 in 1981-82.
The Dons have played four of their past five games at home, with one on a neutral site in Seaside. They play outside the state for the first time on Friday when they open the Belfast Classic in Northern Ireland against Stephen F. Austin. COLORADO 93, AIR FORCE 56 >> Lucas Siewert tied career highs with 17 points and eight rebounds, and the visiting Buffaloes snapped a six-game skid in true road games. It was the ninth straight win for the Buffaloes (3-1) over the Falcons (2-4), who fell behind 17-4 in the opening minutes and never really recovered in losing for the 25th time in the 28-game series with Colorado.
NEW MEXICO 84, UTEP 78 >> Anthony Mathis hit all four of his 3-pointers in the second half to spark the Lobos’ rally. Mathis finished with 18 points, 16 in the second half, and Vance Jackson came off the bench to add 12, nine in the second half, for the Lobos (3-1), who fell behind 14-3 early.