Road To Title Blocked By Wildcats

Saturday, March 11

Las Vegas, Nev.

8:00 PM

University of Oregon

29-5

Arizona

30-4

Arizona

Oregon

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

03/11/17 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score: Arizona 83, Oregon 80 Oregon Ducks Season Stats

Oregon put up a gritty fight in the wake of Chris Boucher's injury, but Arizona won Saturday's Pac-12 Tournament final, 83-80.

By: Rob Moseley

LAS VEGAS — The Oregon basketball program suffered a double dose of disappointment Saturday, losing senior Chris Boucher for the season with a knee injury and then losing 83-80 to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament final at T-Mobile Arena.

How It Happened: The No. 5 and top-seeded Ducks (29-5) couldn't rediscover the magic from their blowout win over the Wildcats in Eugene a month earlier, though they demonstrated considerable resolve in the wake of the devastating news about Boucher they learned Saturday morning.

Down 14 at 49-35 after an Allonzo Trier three-pointer early in the second half, Oregon finally found some rhythm on offense to fight back into the game. The teams traded points as the Ducks inched back within 10 at 58-48, when the UO men mounted an 8-2 run to within four at 60-56 on a Dylan Ennis layup.

Oregon cut the lead to four again at 68-64, then 70-66, then 74-70, then 76-72. Finally, with 1:38 to go, Dillon Brooks made a three-pointer that cut the lead to three at 78-75. Arizona had a chance to put the game away at the line but missed 5-of-6 free-throw attempts, and Jordan Bell put back a miss to make it 79-77 with 24.7 seconds left. But Trier then hit 4-of-4 free throws, while the Ducks were unable to convert at the other end; a Dorsey three-pointer at the buzzer cut the final UO deficit to three.

The Ducks started well, scoring on three straight possessions for an early 6-0 lead that temporarily kept the partisan crowd from coming alive. The Wildcats found their footing by hitting four straight shots to take a 12-10 lead, and a Trier three-pointer gave Arizona the lead for good at 17-14.

That three-pointer came during a 13-3 Arizona run that ultimately put Oregon in a 25-17 hole. The Ducks fought back to within 30-27 late in the first half but squandered opportunities to tie it and went into halftime down 35-29.

Who Stood Out: Brooks finished with 28 points on 8-of-18 shooting, and was nearly a one-man show with 17 of Oregon's 29 first-half points. Dorsey finished with 23 to cap a very strong tournament, and Bell added 16 points with 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double of season. Ennis scored 12.

What It Means: Oregon, making its third straight Pac-12 Tournament final appearance and fourth in five years, was denied the title by Arizona for the second time in the last three years.

Quotable:
Tyler Dorsey, sophomore guard
On the difference in the game
"In the second half we got the flow of our offense going. We scored enough; it came down to defensive stops, and we didn't get enough."

Dillon Brooks, junior wing
On playing in the wake of the Boucher news
"I was crushed. He's a big part of our team. He's worked so hard, and for that to happen is a tragedy. We've got to find a way and the other guys have to step up — Kavell, Roman, Keith have got to step up."

Dylan Ennis, senior guard
On Oregon's resolve at the end
"We fought; I think if we fought like that for a little longer, we could've pulled this game out. But I'm happy for our guys. We kept fighting. We didn't just lay down. And we have another season of March Madness to take care of, and we're looking forward to that."

Notable: Brooks and Dorsey were named to the all-tournament team. ... The Ducks are now 4-2 in conference championship game appearances, and 26-15 all-time in the tournament. … Brooks came out of the game with 1,536 career points, passing Aaron Brooks (1,511, 2003-07) into 12th on the UO career list. … Brooks also passed Ron Lee to become Oregon's all-time leading scorer among players through their junior season. … The Ducks blocked three shots, giving them a Pac-12 record 226 for the season. Washington set the previous record of 224 last season.

Up Next: The Ducks planned to return home to Eugene overnight Saturday, and reassemble Sunday afternoon in Matthew Knight Arena to learn their NCAA Tournament seeding and matchups.