University of Oregon
George Mason
Joseph's Career-High 22 Sends Ducks to NIT Quarterfinals at Notre Dame
03/23/04 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Andre Joseph scored a career-high 22 points to lead Oregon to a 68-54 win over George Mason on Tuesday night in the second round of the NIT.
Joseph, whose previous career high was 19 points, shot 8-for-13 from the field and connected on five of nine 3-pointers. Luke Jackson, who scored 40 points in Oregon's opening-round victory over Colorado, had 14 points, as did center Ian Crosswhite.
The Ducks (17-12) play Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., in a quarterfinal game Thursday night.
Terry Reynolds was the only player to score in double digits for the Patriots (23-10), with 14 points.
It was the 1,000th game at McArthur Court _ the second-oldest Division I facility in the nation behind Fordham's Rose Hill Gym. The Ducks are 644-356 on their home floor since it opened in 1927. They've won 41 of 46 there the last three seasons.
This one was over by halftime.
An 8-3 run put George Mason up 22-21 seven minutes before halftime, but its lead was short-lived thanks to a 16-2 outburst by the Ducks that put them ahead 37-24 with 2:12 to play in the first half.
Joseph scored 10 of Oregon's points during that stretch, including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Patriots' Jai Lewis scored on consecutive possessions to cut the Ducks' lead to 37-28, but a reverse layup by Jackson with 47 seconds to go sent Oregon into halftime up 39-28.
A 3-pointer by James Davis eight minutes into the second half put the Ducks up 52-37, and Joseph followed with a pair of 3-pointers as Oregon's lead grew to 58-39.
