Friday, November 20
Eugene, OR
8:00 PM
University of Oregon
3-0
77
vs
59
Savannah State
3-1
1
2
F
Savannah State
24
35
59
Oregon
42
35
77
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Stay Unbeaten With Win Over Savannah State
11/21/15 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon held off a game opponent to remain unbeaten on the season, beating Savannah State, 77-59, before 6,465 in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday.
How It Happened: The No. 25 Ducks (3-0) shot 60.7 percent in the first half, 17-of-28, to lead 42-24 at the break. After relying primarily on six players in Monday's win over Baylor, UO coach Dana Altman played nine guys in the first half Friday, all at least seven minutes and with all nine scoring.
The Tigers (3-1) showed some moxie coming out of the break, opening the second half with a 9-2 run. They closed within 10 points four different times, but never could get within single digits despite shooting 51.7 percent in the half (15-of-29).
With the Ducks needing some energy, Elgin Cook provided it with his effort on the offensive glass. His putback for a 53-41 lead kicked off a stretch in which Oregon scored on six of seven trips, three of those second-chance buckets by Cook. The last made it 62-47, and the Ducks held on from there.
Who Stood Out: Chris Boucher had 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, including nine after Cook's basket that made it 62-47. Boucher added seven rebounds, and Cook finished with 12 points and eight boards.
After playing five minutes against Baylor, backup point guard Kendall Small got 23 on Friday, and responded with nine points and four assists, matching Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey for the team lead.
What It Means: The contributions off the bench were a positive development coming off the Baylor game, but Altman was troubled by the Ducks' inconsistent play Friday night. They face a tough test Sunday in Valparaiso, one of the country's best midmajors, and a repeat of Friday's second half would spell trouble.
Quotable:
Altman
“First half, I thought our ball movement was pretty good, and because of that our shooting percentage was 60 percent. Second half our movement wasn't as good, and our shooting percentage went down. It was a little like our defensive effort — pretty good the first half, and then they shot 50 percent in the second.”
“(Cook) made some plays, got some rebounds, got some putbacks. We struggled there for a while, but he and Chris made a couple plays there and kept us going.”
Brooks
“It wasn't a very strong game. We had a strong first half, but our second half, we had some letdowns. But we had some guys — Roman, Trevor — they got to show what they could do.”
Cook
“Our performance has to be better. We've got to get in our sets a little faster, and make transitions more clean.”
Notable: Trevor Manuel played 15 minutes against the Tigers, after playing one against Baylor, and Roman Sorkin provided 16 minutes Friday after not playing Monday. ... Sorkin matched his career high in points (8) and set a personal best in rebounds (5). ... The Ducks finished 11-of-24 from the free-throw line, after going 11-of-20 in the second half against Baylor.. ... Oregon had 19 assists on 31 baskets, and just eight turnovers.
Up Next: The Ducks host Valparaiso in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday (3 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon held off a game opponent to remain unbeaten on the season, beating Savannah State, 77-59, before 6,465 in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday.
How It Happened: The No. 25 Ducks (3-0) shot 60.7 percent in the first half, 17-of-28, to lead 42-24 at the break. After relying primarily on six players in Monday's win over Baylor, UO coach Dana Altman played nine guys in the first half Friday, all at least seven minutes and with all nine scoring.
The Tigers (3-1) showed some moxie coming out of the break, opening the second half with a 9-2 run. They closed within 10 points four different times, but never could get within single digits despite shooting 51.7 percent in the half (15-of-29).
With the Ducks needing some energy, Elgin Cook provided it with his effort on the offensive glass. His putback for a 53-41 lead kicked off a stretch in which Oregon scored on six of seven trips, three of those second-chance buckets by Cook. The last made it 62-47, and the Ducks held on from there.
Who Stood Out: Chris Boucher had 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, including nine after Cook's basket that made it 62-47. Boucher added seven rebounds, and Cook finished with 12 points and eight boards.
After playing five minutes against Baylor, backup point guard Kendall Small got 23 on Friday, and responded with nine points and four assists, matching Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey for the team lead.
What It Means: The contributions off the bench were a positive development coming off the Baylor game, but Altman was troubled by the Ducks' inconsistent play Friday night. They face a tough test Sunday in Valparaiso, one of the country's best midmajors, and a repeat of Friday's second half would spell trouble.
Quotable:
Altman
“First half, I thought our ball movement was pretty good, and because of that our shooting percentage was 60 percent. Second half our movement wasn't as good, and our shooting percentage went down. It was a little like our defensive effort — pretty good the first half, and then they shot 50 percent in the second.”
“(Cook) made some plays, got some rebounds, got some putbacks. We struggled there for a while, but he and Chris made a couple plays there and kept us going.”
Brooks
“It wasn't a very strong game. We had a strong first half, but our second half, we had some letdowns. But we had some guys — Roman, Trevor — they got to show what they could do.”
Cook
“Our performance has to be better. We've got to get in our sets a little faster, and make transitions more clean.”
Notable: Trevor Manuel played 15 minutes against the Tigers, after playing one against Baylor, and Roman Sorkin provided 16 minutes Friday after not playing Monday. ... Sorkin matched his career high in points (8) and set a personal best in rebounds (5). ... The Ducks finished 11-of-24 from the free-throw line, after going 11-of-20 in the second half against Baylor.. ... Oregon had 19 assists on 31 baskets, and just eight turnovers.
Up Next: The Ducks host Valparaiso in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday (3 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Team Stats
SSUM
ORE
FG%
.446
.517
3FG%
.278
.235
FT%
.571
.458
RB
31
37
TO
13
8
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
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