Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu makes history against Stanford

STANFORD, Calif. -- Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu on Monday became the first Division I college basketball player (men's or women's) to collect 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in a career.

Ionescu previously passed the mark in points and assists, but she entered Monday's game against No. 4 Stanford nine rebounds short of 1,000. She hit that mark on a defensive rebound with 1:50 left in the third quarter for the No. 3 Ducks.

Ionescu had four rebounds at halftime, when Stanford led 32-22. She picked up five rebounds in the third quarter.

At the 7:18 mark of the fourth quarter, Ionescu got her 10th rebound, which gave her the 26th triple-double of her career. Oregon won the game 74-66.

Ionescu started the day in Los Angeles, where she spoke at the memorial for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna at Staples Center. She then took a charter flight back to the Bay Area for the game, arriving at 4:30 p.m. PT for a 6 p.m. PT tipoff.

"It was for him," she said, referencing Kobe, when asked about the milestone. "To do it on 2/24/20 is huge. We had talked about it in the preseason. I can't really put that into words. He's looking down and really proud of me and just really happy for this moment with my team."

Adding to Ionescu's day was the fact that she was sick, even throwing up before the game. She did not participate in warm-ups. 

Oregon coach Kelly Graves said before the game that he told his team that with all Ionescu was going through this weekend, it needed to be ready to support her emotionally on Monday. 

But he added: "If anybody can handle this, it's Sabrina. To see a guard with 1,000 rebounds, that's incredible. We may be seeing something we'll never see again."

Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry attended the Ducks' game. He also was on hand to watch Oregon's victory Friday at Cal, in which Ionescu collected her 25th triple-double of the season with 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.

"That's just sustained greatness," Curry told ESPN when asked about the Ducks star's milestone. "Obviously, she came back her senior year for a reason, trying to grab that national championship. In the meantime, she's blazing a trail that nobody has stepped foot in." 

Curry also commended Ionescu for handling the emotions of Monday. 

"I can't imagine. You know how emotional it was for everybody in that arena and watching on television," he said. "To be, at her age, with all that she has going on, obviously, her connection with Kobe and with Gigi and all the weight of that, and to have to give a speech in front of 19,000 people that are all mourning, it's unbelievable."

Before Monday, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer praised Ionescu's high-level all-around game and what it has brought to both Oregon and the Pac-12. In particular, she lauded Ionescu's prowess on the boards.

"If you watch her rebound, especially offensively, she tracks the ball really well," VanDerveer said. "The ball is moving, and she's moving to it. Other people are watching it, but she's moving to where it's going.

"She's phenomenal, a really, really talented player. That [2K/1K/1K] statistic is phenomenal. The triple-doubles are phenomenal."