University of Oregon
Idaho State
Ducks Get Defensive with Idaho State to Win Season Opener
11/19/04 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) Ian Crosswhite and Malik Hairston scored 15 points each to lead Oregon to a season-opening 77-51 win over Idaho State on Friday.
Crosswhite, one of three juniors on the Ducks' seniorless roster, also had a game-high nine rebounds. Hairston was 7-for-10 from the field with five rebounds. His point total was the most for an Oregon freshmen in his first start since 1995, when Terik Brown scored 26 against Hawaii-Hilo. That was also the last Oregon team without any seniors.
Bryce Taylor, who along with Hairston is a member of the Ducks' highly touted freshmen class, also started and scored 11 points.
Point guard Aaron Brooks added 13 points and a career-high eight assists.
Doug D'Amore scored 14 points to lead the Bengals. Jesse Smith added 10 points.
The Bengals (0-1) were able to stay in the game early on as the Ducks worked to find their shooting touch. But a put-back dunk by Brandon Lincoln at the 3:31 mark gave Oregon a 25-15 and sparked an 11-0 run going into halftime.
The Ducks made five of their first seven shots at the start of the second half, building their lead to 46-17 on the heels of a 12-2 run.
Crosswhite scored seven of those points on a hook shot from the paint, a 3-pointer and a layup.
Oregon dominated the boards, enjoying a 50-25 advantage. Twenty of those rebounds were on the offensive end.
The Ducks held Idaho State to just 20.8 percent from the field (20-of-57). The Bengals' 51 points was the fewest allowed by Oregon in a season opener since 1982 when the Ducks defeated UC San Diego 63-46.
