University of Oregon
20-4, 9-2
Utah
17-7, 6-5
Ducks Beat Utes For 20th Victory
02/07/16 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Photo: Eric Evans
EUGENE, Ore. — The 16th-ranked Oregon men's basketball team maintained its hold on first place in the Pac-12 Conference, as the Ducks beat Utah 76-66 on Sunday before 6,807 in Matthew Knight Arena. The UO men won for the ninth time in 10 games, including six straight.
How It Happened: Led by conference player of the year candidate Dillon Brooks, the Ducks (20-4, 9-2) extended their six-point halftime lead to as much as 16 and completed a season sweep of the Utes. Brooks had a brilliant drive-and-dish to Chris Boucher for a 48-37 lead early in the second half, and set up Jordan Bell for a dunk and a 57-42 lead. In between Brooks completed a three-point play for Oregon's biggest lead, at 55-39, and he made the free throw to complete another for a 65-51 lead later in the half.
Utah's last gasp closed the deficit to 67-58, and Brooks left the door open by missing a free throw. But the Ducks got a stop on defense and Brooks scored at the other end, and he later hit a three-pointer for Oregon's final bucket. Brooks had 12 of the Ducks' last 16 points.
The Ducks were uncharacteristically sloppy from the outset, with turnovers on three of their first six possessions. The Utes took advantage with an early 10-7 lead, and though Oregon cleaned up its play, Utah used a 10-2 run to lead 17-12. From there Brooks put the team on his back, scoring 11 of their next 18, including a tip-in for an 18-17 lead, and a three-pointer for a 30-27 advantage.
Utah last led at 31-30 with about five minutes left in the half. Bell's dunk put Oregon ahead for good, Brooks hit a midrange jumper for a 36-33 lead and Boucher had a three-pointer bounce high off the rim a couple times before dropping in. The Ducks led 41-35 at the break,
Who stood out: Brooks finished with 30 points, most by a Duck since Joseph Young scored 30 against Wisconsin in last season's NCAA Tournament. That was a career high for the UO sophomore, as were Brooks' nine assists. Boucher returned from the ankle injury suffered late in Thursday's win over Colorado to start Sunday's game and add 15 points.
What It Means: The Ducks showed no signs of getting ahead of themselves after taking over the conference lead. Colorado and Utah entered this week in a tie for second place, one game behind the Ducks, but Oregon beat the Buffaloes and Utes by a combined 30 points.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, UO head coach
On Oregon's play of late
“I like the progress we're making. I guess what excites me is, I think there's more. I really believe we've got a lot more in the tank.”
Elgin Cook, UO senior
On the big day by Brooks
“Dillon was confident. He made a lot of shots, did a lot of good things for us.”
Jordan Bell, UO sophomore
On Oregon's mental focus
“In our minds we're playing like we're last in the Pac-12. We're not playing like we're in first place, we're playing hungry. … We just want to play hungry, like we have a target on our back.”
Notable: The Ducks won 20 games for a school-record sixth straight season, and won 20 of their first 24 for the first time since 2006-07. They are 9-2 in the conference for the first time since 2001-02. … After three turnovers in their first six possessions, the Ducks committed just five more the rest of the way. With eight turnovers, Oregon has fewer than 10 in four of the last five games. … After surpassing 1,000 career points Thursday, Cook added 12 on Sunday to reach 1,023 over the last three season, No. 32 on the UO career list.
Up Next: The Ducks are on the road to face California on Friday (6 p.m., ESPN2).
