University of Oregon
29-6
Holy Cross
15-20
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| #16 Holy Cross | 25 | 27 | 52 |
| #1 Oregon | 43 | 48 | 91 |
Ducks Advance With 91-52 Victory Over Holy Cross
03/19/16 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Photo: Shawn Toner
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Oregon men's basketball team won its opening round game in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year Friday, a 91-52 victory for the top-seeded Ducks over No. 16 seed Holy Cross in Spokane Arena.
How It Happened: The Ducks (29-6) never trailed and led by as much as 42 late in the second half. Oregon shot .557, had a 44-28 rebounding advantage and committed just seven turnovers while liming the Crusaders to .364 shooting.
The Ducks made just one of their first six field-goal attempts, but they set a familiar tone with their rebounding and defense in the opening minutes. A reverse layin by Tyler Dorsey provided the game's first field goal and a 5-0 lead, and two possessions later Jordan Bell dunked to give the UO men seven straight to open the game.
The score was 14-6 when Oregon really began to assert itself. Chris Boucher flushed an alley oop from Elgin Cook for a 16-6 lead, and Boucher would finish two more alley oops in the next six possessions, both from Dillon Brooks. The last made it 27-14, and the Ducks kept pulling away from there.
Elgin Cook had an emphatic follow dunk for a 38-19 lead, and his bank shot made it 43-25 at the half. The Ducks continued to pull away over the course of the second half, allowing Roman Sorkin and Kendall Small to get double-digit minutes off the bench. By the end walk-ons Max Heller, Charlie Noebel and Phil Richmond were on the floor as Oregon ran out the clock.
Who Stood Out: Boucher scored 20 to lead the Ducks, and playing a big role in Oregon's 15 second-chance points against the smaller Crusaders. Dwayne Benjamin added 12 points off the bench, while Cook scored 11 and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. Brooks provided a well-rounded contribution with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
What It Means: The Ducks joined Gonzaga, Kansas, North Carolina and Wichita State as the five teams to have won at least one game in each of the last four NCAA Tournament.
Notable: Oregon's 91 points were its second-most in tournament history, one less than the 92 points scored against Wake Forest in 2002. … Holy Cross' 52 points were the fewest by a UO opponent since Ohio State scored 33 in the Ducks' 1939 NCAA Championship game victory.
Up Next: Oregon advanced to play Sunday against the winner of Friday night's first-round game between Cincinnati and Saint Joseph's. The Ducks will tip off following the Hawaii-Maryland game that begins at 4:10 p.m.
