BERKELEY, Calif. — With two minutes remaining, freshman Sabrina Ionescu told herself she’d sink a potential game-winning shot if given the opportunity.

Oregon’s heralded freshman did just that. Her 3-pointer at the buzzer lifted the Ducks over No. 20 Cal 69-66 for Oregon’s first win in Berkeley since 2011. The Ducks improve to 11-5, 1-3 in the Pac-12.

“I was just running in circles trying not to cry,” Ionescu said after making the shot. “I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know if there was more time on the clock. I don’t remember. I had tears in my eyes.”

Ionescu’s shot helped the Ducks erase a six-point Cal lead with 30 seconds left. Maite Cazorla drained a 3-pointer to make it 66-64, Ruthy Hebard got a steal and Cazorla scored to tie it at 66 with nine seconds left. After Cal’s Asha Thomas missed two free throws, Ionescu’s triple at the buzzer sent the Ducks into a frenzy.

“She’s fearless when it comes to situations like this,” associate head coach Mark Campbell said. “At the end of the day, players made plays. She made a special play right there.”

Bay area native Sabrina Ionescu with the three-pointer at the buzzer to beat No. 20 ranked California! #SCTop10 https://t.co/1881U11NPx

— Oregon WBB (@OregonWBB) January 8, 2017

Ionescu returned to the court in her first game back from a broken thumb on Friday against Stanford. She said she envisions herself making game-winning shots every night.

“This is my first one,” she said. “I’m excited.”

Ionescu, playing before a contingent of family and friends, finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. She was 5-of-20 from the field, but the only shot that mattered was the last one. Oregon scored eight points in the final 12 seconds.

“I saw her throw up a shot and I was like, ‘Let Sabrina do her thing. Let’s get the ball in her hands.’ She’s the person you want taking those types of shots for us,” said Lexi Bando, who finished with a team-high 17 points, including five 3-pointers.

The Ducks held Cal, one of the top offensive teams in the Pac-12, to 41.5 percent from the field. Oregon shot 41 percent overall and went 8-of-20 from 3-point range. Cal (13-3, 1-3) was led offensively by Kristine Anigwe, who tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds.

“We needed this,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “I was most proud of how we defended tonight. We had a good game plan and our kids stuck to the game plan.”

Cal had a narrow 32-30 lead at halftime. The Ducks relinquished a seven-point, third-quarter lead before piecing a sequence of unforgettable plays to cap their road trip.

“You could definitely tell the momentum was there,” Bando said. “We came to play. It didn’t look so pretty at the end, but we made plays when we needed to. Sabrina came in clutch. I’m still just mind-blown.”

Graves was met with plenty of enthusiasm when he greeted his team after the game.

“I went in there and I said well we have some bad news,” Graves said. “The flight has been cancelled. They all cheered.”

When the Ducks return to Eugene, they’ll have a week of practice before hitting the road again for games against No. 9 UCLA and USC.

Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne

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