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Starting at 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the crowd at Matthew Knight Arena was about as loud as it has been in years, with Oregon Duck fans on their feet cheering on the home team as they dominated the No. 9 UCONN Huskies. It was raucous, unrestrained, and certainly exuberant.
Until it wasn’t.
With about 5 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, with the Ducks holding a double-digit lead, you could hear a pin drop on the court. Nyara Sabally, Oregon’s leading scorer, was down on the ground, holding her right knee and writhing in pain. As a supremely talented player with an annoying history with knee injuries, this is one of the few things that could have killed the atmosphere in MKA on the afternoon.
Eventually, Sabally was helped off the court and into the locker room, and the game resumed. Minutes later, she limped back onto the bench with ice wrapped around her knee.
The early prognosis is good, and Sabally is expected to be okay, according to head coach Kelly Graves.
Kelly Graves says that he thinks Nyara Sabally "is going to be fine."
"She's not with a doctor right now, so that's a good thing."
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) January 18, 2022
When talking to the media after the game, Graves noted that tweaks to her knee are something that Sabally is used to, and an annoying habit that she’s had to deal with during her career. Here is his full quote:
“I think she’s going to be fine,” Graves said. “You never know with those kinds of things. She’s not with a doctor right now, so that’s a good sign. It’s just something she’s had to live with, you know. Kind of each and every day, she gets it tweaked, there’s a little swelling. She just shows a lot of heart and keeps showing up and keeps doing it. I’m just hopeful that she is well, and that it was kind of a scare more than anything.”
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After two historic upsets over No. 7 Arizona and No. 9 UCONN, the Ducks now have a few days off before they head up to Washington for a road stand against both the Huskies and Washington State Cougars. We will have to wait and see if Sabally is healthy enough to play by then, but the hope is that her season can continue with the Ducks.
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