Sunday, November 30
Eugene, Ore.
5:00 PM
University of Oregon
4-2
81
vs
59
Portland State
4-1
1
2
F
Portland State
30
29
59
Oregon
50
31
81
Photo by: GoDucks.com
Ducks Rebound With Block Party Against Portland State
12/01/14 | Men's Basketball
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon men's basketball team rebounded from its first two losses of the season with some hot shooting and stout defense to beat Portland State, 81-59, before 5,040 in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday.
How It Happened: Down 8-2 after an 0-of-5 start from the floor, the Ducks (4-2) put together a 27-1 run that gave the home team the upper hand for the rest of the night. Rivaling a 33-1 run in the first half of the season opener, Oregon hit 8-of-17 three-pointers in the first half, with Jalil Abdul-Bassit making 5-of-6. It was apparent this was the Ducks' night when Abdul-Bassit banked in his final three-point attempt of the half, and Casey Benson followed two possessions later with another three that just beat the halftime buzzer.
Playing an opponent whose tallest two starters were 6-foot-6, the Ducks also controlled the post. Oregon blocked 12 shots on the night, breaking a school record that stood for almost 30 years. The home team's shooting cooled in the second half, to 45.3 percent, but the Ducks held Portland State to 25.8 shooting on the night.
Who Stood Out: Abdul-Bassit finished with 19 points, matching Joseph Young for the team lead. They led five players in double figures, two of which finished with double-doubles. Dillon Brooks established career-highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Jordan Bell had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks. Young had nine rebounds and seven assists to go along with his 19 points, while Benson added 13 points.
Quotable: "Jordan did a nice job. They just kind of put their heads down and drove as hard as they could to the basket, which allowed us to come over from the weak side a number of times." — UO coach Dana Altman
"We got stops defensively, that was a big thing. Getting out in transition and getting some easy baskets really helped. Starting out we took some jump shots, so getting out in transition was a big key to that run." — Benson
"We haven't started one game well yet. We're going to have to change the warmup, something, change the lineup. Something's got to give, because we're not getting off to very good starts." — Altman
What It Means: Playing for the second time without starting forward Dwayne Benjamin, the Ducks' other front-players responded, as illustrated by Brooks' rebounding and Bell's blocked shots. Oregon put the two losses in Brooklyn in the rearview mirror entering another tough stretch of games that includes Mississippi and Illinois in the next two weeks.
Odds and Ends: The previous school record for blocked shots was 11, against Davidson on Dec. 27, 1984. …. Oregon's 12 blocks Sunday also were a Matthew Knight Arena record, as were Bell's six by an individual. … Walk-on forward Tim Jensen played a season-high 11 minutes off the bench. … Elgin Cook fouled out for the third straight game. ... Young was perfect from the line for the sixth-straight game (6-of-6), he is now 36-of-36 on the season.
Up Next: The Ducks remain at home to host Concordia on Wednesday night in Matthew Knight Arena (7 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon men's basketball team rebounded from its first two losses of the season with some hot shooting and stout defense to beat Portland State, 81-59, before 5,040 in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday.
How It Happened: Down 8-2 after an 0-of-5 start from the floor, the Ducks (4-2) put together a 27-1 run that gave the home team the upper hand for the rest of the night. Rivaling a 33-1 run in the first half of the season opener, Oregon hit 8-of-17 three-pointers in the first half, with Jalil Abdul-Bassit making 5-of-6. It was apparent this was the Ducks' night when Abdul-Bassit banked in his final three-point attempt of the half, and Casey Benson followed two possessions later with another three that just beat the halftime buzzer.
Playing an opponent whose tallest two starters were 6-foot-6, the Ducks also controlled the post. Oregon blocked 12 shots on the night, breaking a school record that stood for almost 30 years. The home team's shooting cooled in the second half, to 45.3 percent, but the Ducks held Portland State to 25.8 shooting on the night.
Who Stood Out: Abdul-Bassit finished with 19 points, matching Joseph Young for the team lead. They led five players in double figures, two of which finished with double-doubles. Dillon Brooks established career-highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Jordan Bell had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks. Young had nine rebounds and seven assists to go along with his 19 points, while Benson added 13 points.
Quotable: "Jordan did a nice job. They just kind of put their heads down and drove as hard as they could to the basket, which allowed us to come over from the weak side a number of times." — UO coach Dana Altman
"We got stops defensively, that was a big thing. Getting out in transition and getting some easy baskets really helped. Starting out we took some jump shots, so getting out in transition was a big key to that run." — Benson
"We haven't started one game well yet. We're going to have to change the warmup, something, change the lineup. Something's got to give, because we're not getting off to very good starts." — Altman
What It Means: Playing for the second time without starting forward Dwayne Benjamin, the Ducks' other front-players responded, as illustrated by Brooks' rebounding and Bell's blocked shots. Oregon put the two losses in Brooklyn in the rearview mirror entering another tough stretch of games that includes Mississippi and Illinois in the next two weeks.
Odds and Ends: The previous school record for blocked shots was 11, against Davidson on Dec. 27, 1984. …. Oregon's 12 blocks Sunday also were a Matthew Knight Arena record, as were Bell's six by an individual. … Walk-on forward Tim Jensen played a season-high 11 minutes off the bench. … Elgin Cook fouled out for the third straight game. ... Young was perfect from the line for the sixth-straight game (6-of-6), he is now 36-of-36 on the season.
Up Next: The Ducks remain at home to host Concordia on Wednesday night in Matthew Knight Arena (7 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).
Team Stats
PSU
ORE
FG%
.258
.453
3FG%
.200
.423
FT%
.724
.923
RB
40
46
TO
9
11
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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