Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu makes NCAA history against Stanford
STANFORD, Calif. -- Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu on Monday became the first college basketball player (men's or women's) to collect 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in a career. She also recorded her 26th career triple-double.
It all happened on a highly emotional day for the senior, who spoke at the memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna at Staples Center in Los Angeles in the morning before flying back to the Bay Area for Monday night's game.
The No. 3 Ducks beat No. 4 Stanford 74-66, with Ionescu finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
Oregon coach Kelly Graves said Ionescu also was battling the flu, which is why she missed most of the team's warm-ups.
The date was special to her not just because of the memorial but also because 2/24/20 are the jersey numbers of Gianna, Kobe and Sabrina.
"It was for him," Ionescu said, referencing Bryant, when asked by ESPN's LaChina Robinson about hitting 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."
Ionescu took a charter flight with Graves' wife, Mary, to Los Angeles following the Ducks' practice on Sunday afternoon. They returned via charter to the team hotel in Palo Alto on Monday afternoon, then arrived at Maples Pavilion around 7:30 p.m. ET for a 9 p.m. tipoff.
"We were done with pregame meal when they got back to the hotel," Graves said. "She hadn't eaten yet today, tried to and couldn't keep anything down. But, you know, in true Sabrina fashion, she goes out on the biggest day and biggest moment and shines bright. It was really neat to see how hard she competed tonight, gave it everything she had. She really has nothing left, I'm sure.
"I think everybody got a chance to see who Sabrina is. I've had the great pleasure and honor to coach her for four years, and what you see out there tonight is what I see each and every day. That's who she is, that's how she competes, that's how she's driven."
Ionescu previously passed the 2,000 points and 1,000 assists milestones, but she entered Monday's game nine rebounds short of 1K. She hit the mark on a defensive rebound with 1:50 left in the third quarter.
She had four rebounds at halftime, when Oregon led Stanford 32-22. She picked up five rebounds in the third quarter, and her name soon became the top trend on Twitter. At the 7:18 mark of the fourth quarter, Ionescu got her 10th rebound for the triple-double.
Ionescu now has 2,467 points, 1,041 assists and 1,003 rebounds in her career. Oregon has two more regular-season games before the Pac-12 tournament.
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."
During the team's shootaround Monday morning, the Ducks paused to watch Ionescu's tribute to Bryant. Oregon teammate Satou Sabally said of Ionescu's feat, "I think it means a lot for women's basketball. She's the face of it, and we're just so proud of her."
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry attended the Ducks' game on Monday after also being at the Bryant memorial. He also was on hand to watch Oregon's victory Friday at Cal, in which Ionescu collected her 25th triple-double.
"That's just sustained greatness," Curry told ESPN when asked Monday 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 all the emotions of Monday's events.
"I can't imagine," he said. "You know how emotional it was for everybody in that arena and watching on television. 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."
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