University of Oregon
Southern Oregon (EX.)
Ducks Roll, 91-40, in Final Tune-Up
11/09/15 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE – The Oregon men's basketball team utilized contributions throughout its roster to defeat Southern Oregon, 91-40 in its second and final exhibition game on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.
How It Happened: With Dillon Brooks limited to only seven minutes in the first half after picking up three quick fouls, Oregon looked to defense and contributions from the remaining core of its roster, including newcomers Chris Boucher and Tyler Dorsey, to power the squad past the Raiders.
As Brooks was forced to the bench, it was the senior duo of Chris Boucher and Dwayne Benjamin that lifted the Ducks to a 41-21 halftime lead. Boucher tallied a first-half line of 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Benjamin ended the half with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting and three boards in 11 minutes off the bench.
With Brooks on the floor to start the second half, Oregon opened on a 21-6 scoring run in the first 5:19 of the frame. Freshman Tyler Dorsey led the way in the second half scoring 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field in only eight second-half minutes.
The Duck defense stifled the Raiders throughout the game, allowing only 29 percent shooting from the field and a six percent mark from three while forcing 23 turnovers.
Who Stood Out: After an 11-point, seven-block performance in Tuesday's exhibition opener, senior Chris Boucher picked up where he left off with 13 points, 14 rebounds and five rejections tonight. Boucher's 14 rebounds matched last year's regular season single-game high by a Duck player.
Dwayne Benjamin and Tyler Dorsey each finished the game with 16 points. Senior Elgin Cook contributed 12 points and five rebounds. Dillon Brooks returned in the second half to pour in eight points and bring his scoring total for the night to 10. Brooks dished off four assists, including a feed to Roman Sorkin that led to a nice up-and-under lay in.
Other Notes and Numbers: Prior to Sunday's game, it was announced that Troy Norris will be joining the Ducks as a walk-on for the 2015-16 season … Norris, a 6-2, 170-pound senior guard hails from Oxnard, Calif., where he attended Atascadero High School before playing junior college ball at College of the Sequoias … Oregon got out to a strong start down low on Sunday, scoring its first 10 points in the paint … The Ducks opened the game jumping out to a 19-4 lead that included a 13-0 run spanning nearly six minutes … Leading, 24-6, after 10 minutes, Oregon came out of the gates strong on both ends, shooting 9-of 17 in the first 10 minutes and holding the Raiders to a 3-of-17 start from the field … With two blocks at the break, Boucher tallied three rejections in only seven second-half minutes … The Ducks' 23 forced turnovers in tonight's game bested last year's regular-season high (20 vs. VCU on 11-25-14) … Boucher totaled 12 combined blocked shots in the two exhibition games.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, UO Coach
On the team's defense…
“Our team defense isn't nearly what it needs to be, but I like our activity. We've got to use our length and a little bit of our quickness and I thought guys were trying to do that. But we've got to do it for longer periods of time and be more consistent with it.”
On what needs work between now and the regular-season opener…
“Well, we need to work on everything. There's not one phase of the game that is progressing like a coach would hope it would. Our execution defensively needs to really improve. We haven't faced a lot of presses and I think teams are going to press a little bit more. We haven't pressed at all and we need a lot of work on that. There are a lot of things. These three practices have to be really focused.”
Up Next: With the exhibition schedule in the rearview, the Ducks turn their attention to the regular-season opener against Jackson State Friday at 7 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.
