University of Oregon
Southern Oregon (EX)
Ducks Double Up Raiders in Final Exhibition, 106-49
11/06/06 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. – Junior Chamberlain Oguchi had 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, and freshman Tajuan Porter was impressive again with 14 points and four three-pointers as Oregon concluded its exhibition season with a 106-49 victory over the Southern Oregon Raiders Monday night at McArthur Court.
Porter added seven assists and six rebounds to his totals, and Maarty Leunen was once again dominant despite suffering a cut to his chin that required four stitches, grabbing 15 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive end, as Oregon out-rebounded the Raiders 45-22 for the game.
"I can't be more proud of him for being our key rebounder on the team," said Oregon head coach Ernie Kent about Leunen. The junior from Redmond, Ore. also added 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.
After leading by 18 at halftime, the Ducks flew out of the locker room with a 28-6 run in the first 8:14 of the second half to put the game out of reach. Oregon outscored the Raiders 58-19 in the second half overall.
"I think our team is at a good spot right now," said Oguchi. "Last year I think we struggled a little against SOU, so to come out here and beat them by almost 60 points says a lot about where we are right now."
Defensively, the Ducks were dominant, especially in the second half. They forced 14 second half turnovers and held the Raiders to 25 percent field goal shooting. Southern Oregon shot 35.3 percent for the game, while being held to 3-of-18 shooting from behind the arc.
Kent saw marked improvement from his team compared to their exhibition opener last week against Lewis & Clark. "We were in much better rhythm. We were a lot better defensively," Kent said. "In all areas of the game, we were crisper."
The Ducks shot 59.7 percent from the field, making nine of their 19 three point attempts, and Bryce Taylor and Aaron Brooks each had 13 points, as Ducks scored in double figures. All 11 Oregon players that saw action scored, and no Oregon player played for more than 30 minutes.
The Ducks open the regular season by hosting the Basketball Travelers Classic at McArthur Court on Friday. Portland State and Cal State Northridge begin the tournament at 4:30 p.m. Oregon kicks off its regular season against Lehigh at 7 p.m.
