Taylor, Rookies Help Ducks Roll Past Bethune-Cookman

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -Bryce Taylor scored 21 points to lead No. 22 Oregon to a 92-64 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Monday night.

The Ducks (8-0), who moved into the Top 25 on Monday for the first time since January 2003, are off to their best start in 10 years. It is their longest winning streak in coach Ernie Kent's 10 seasons.

Reserve freshman forward Joevan Catron was 6-for-6 from the field and scored 15 points for Oregon, which got a season-high 35 points from its bench. Tajuan Porter added 13 points for the Ducks, while sophomore guard Churchill Odia, playing in his first game as a Duck after transferring from Xavier prior to last season and sitting out the first seven games of 2006-07 recovering from knee surgery, contributed nine points and five assists.

Jimmy Hudson had 21 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the Wildcats (2-4), while Aaron Nelson had 11 points.

The Ducks struggled to distance themselves from the Wildcats until a run late in the first half.

Taylor hit a 3-pointer with 2:48 left in the first half to put Oregon up 37-28. Porter added another 3 with under a minute left and the Ducks led 41-32 at halftime.

Bethune-Cookman got within 44-36 on a layup by Hudson 1:58 into the second half, but Oregon followed with a 14-3 run that made it 58-39 four minutes later. Maarty Leunen and Porter made 3-pointers during that stretch.

Following a 3-pointer by Josh Cummings that cut the Wildcats' deficit to 58-42, Catron and Taylor made consecutive layups and Porter hit his third 3 of the game to put Oregon up 65-42. Bethune-Cookman never got closer than 16 points after that.

Oregon is now 8-0 for just the eighth time in school history.