University of Oregon
2-1
Iowa
3-0
Ducks Can't Hold On in New York
11/15/18 | Men's Basketball
The 13th-ranked Oregon men's basketball team fell to Iowa, 77-69, in the semifinals of the 2K Empire Classic on Thursday
NEW YORK CITY - The 13th-ranked Oregon men's basketball team fell to Iowa, 77-69, in the semifinals of the 2K Empire Classic Thursday night in Madison Square Garden.
Newcomer Ehab Amin kept the Ducks close by leading the team with 25 points.
Ironically, Oregon's loss actually created a coveted top-25 match-up on Friday as Oregon will play No. 15 Syracuse, an 83-76 loser to Connecticut on Thursday, in the consolation final.
How It Happened: Oregon had trouble finding its rhythm in the Big Apple, which led to inconsistent offense on several occasions.
In the first half, Bol Bol stepped up on defense, recording 4 blocks in a little under four minutes. However, the Hawkeyes remained unphased as they entered an 8-0 run shortly after, expanding their lead to 21-9.
Late in the first, the Ducks (2-1) seemed to feel more comfortable, coming within four points of Iowa, 26-22, after Amin sunk one from the line at the 5:44 mark. Still, Oregon closed out the half struggling to score and went into the locker room trailing by 11 points, 39-28.
In the second half, the Ducks began to find their footing but it wasn't enough to catch up to the Hawkeyes (3-0). Amin played well in the second half, knocking down a few three-pointers, to finish with 25 points. Bol and Victor Bailey Jr. also finished in double digits with 14 and 10, respectively.
Notable: Bol Bol recorded four blocks in 3 minutes and 48 seconds in the first half ... The Ducks got 10 of their first half points from the charity stripe ... Amin knocked down five three-pointers to set a new career high ... Payton Pritchard matched his career record with seven rebounds, while Paul White matched his career high, also with seven rebounds.
Quotable:
Head Coach, Dana Altman
On the team's performance tonight...
"We didn't play as hard as we needed to. We didn't play together when we needed to. Obviously we need to get better in every area, and I think we can."
Up Next: The Ducks will return to Madison Square Garden tomorrow to face No. 15 Syracuse (1:30 p.m. PT, ESPN2).
