University of Oregon
2-1
Valparaiso
3-1
Second Half Surge Lifts No. 4 Ducks Past Valpo
11/17/16 | Men's Basketball
Chris Boucher leads with 25 points, Jordan Bell ties career-high with 15
EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 4 Oregon men's basketball team came away with a statement win over Valparaiso, 76-54, on Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
How it Happened: After a tough loss to Baylor on the road on Tuesday, the Ducks (2-1) bounced back with a big second half to win its 27th straight home game at Matthew Knight Arena and improved to 45-2 all-time in non-conference games at MKA.
Leading 37-30 at the half, the Ducks came out and shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field to outscore the Crusaders (3-1), 39-24. Jordan Bell led the second half surge with 12 points, going 6-of-9 from the field to finish the game with 15 points. Chris Boucher capped a stellar night with seven points and six rebounds in the second half, to finish with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds. Valparaiso struggled in the second half, going 7-of-30 from the field.
The Ducks dominated around the rim, outscoring Valparaiso in the paint, 40-16, with Bell and Boucher throwing down a number of highlight-reel dunks. Oregon out-rebounded the Crusaders 40-27, including 15 offensive boards. The Ducks finished the game shooting 48 percent (27-of-56) from the field, while Valparaiso finished at 32 percent (18-of-56). After struggling from three-point range against Baylor on Tuesday (14%), the Ducks came out and shot 7-of-21 (33.3%) including 5-of-12 in the first half.
Valparaiso hung with Ducks in the first half, playing to a 16-13 lead through the first eight minutes. Boucher and the Ducks found their groove from there, going on a 16-4 run to take a nine-point lead, 29-20. The Crusaders scored 10 of the last 18 points to get within seven at halftime.
Who Stood Out: Boucher had a monster of a night, finishing with 25 points, just one point shy of his career high. The native of Quebec, Canada also set a career high with nine field goals made, shooting 75 percent from the field. Bell tied his career-high mark with 15 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and hitting his first career three-pointer. Bell and Boucher combined for six blocks with three each. Payton Pritchard ignited a spark off the bench with nine points, five assists. Tyler Dorsey added eight points. Three other Ducks finished with five points each.
Up Next: The Ducks will make a quick turnaround and head to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, where they'll open with Georgetown on Monday at 1:30 p.m. PT (ESPN2). Oregon will face either No. 9 Wisconsin or Tennessee on Tuesday, before wrapping up the tournament on Wednesday.
#GoDucks
