Wednesday, December 12
Eugene, OR
7:00 PM
University of Oregon
6-3
65
vs
55
San Diego
8-3
1
2
F
San Diego
32
23
55
Oregon
31
34
65
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Defensive Intensity Keys Victory
12/12/18 | Men's Basketball
The Oregon men's basketball team buckled down on defense late in the first half Wednesday, and that carried the Ducks to a key nonconference win over San Diego.
EUGENE, Ore. — In need of résumé-boosting wins in the midst of an up-and-down nonconference season, the Oregon men's basketball team gave itself a boost Wednesday with a 65-55 victory over San Diego before 7,191 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Toreros, who beat Colorado and lost by just three at Washington earlier in the season, led 29-20 before the Ducks (6-3) ramped up their defensive intensity late in the first half. Ehab Amin had four of Oregon's season-high 11 steals and the Ducks also blocked six shots on the night.
"It was a good win for us, no doubt," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We've gotta finish the nonconference strong. We've taken our lumps here in November and early December, and we've got to get better and finish the month strong."
How It Happened: A three-point play by Kenny Wooten and a three-pointer from Bol Bol got Oregon off to a solid start, but the Ducks' defense wasn't up to the task early on. San Diego hit a couple of wide-open threes to go up 8-6, and two more within four possessions midway through the first half to lead 26-20.
San Diego was up 29-20 when the lights went on for Oregon defensively. Over the final 4:31 of the first half, the Toreros had nine possessions and were hounded into six steals — three by Amin — and also a shot-clock violation. The Ducks finished the half on an 11-2 run, and trailed just 32-31 at the break.
"It was going to be Houston 2.0," Amin said, referring to Oregon's slow start in a loss at Houston on Dec. 1. "At home, we can't let that happen — get down 20 and then play hard."
The defensive energy carried over into the second half, with the Ducks blocking three shots in the first six minutes. Oregon took the lead for good on a bank shot by Bol for a 39-37 lead, and he hit two hook shots sandwiched around a Payton Pritchard three-pointer to make it 56-48. A late three-pointer got the Toreros within five at 58-53, but Louis King hit his first field goal of the night, a baseline jumper that helped quiet any comeback bid.
Who Stood Out: Bol finished with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including an array of midrange shots plus a pair of three-pointers. He added nine rebounds, narrowly missing his fifth double-double, plus four blocks. Pritchard added 12 points with seven assists. Amin had five points to go along with four steals, and though King was limited to one field goal in 14:14 of court time, his energy provided a boost, Altman said.
What It Means: San Diego runs one of the more efficient offenses among mid-majors nationally, so the Ducks' defense performance over the last 25 minutes hinted at their potential to be a strong defensive team when the motivation is there.
"We're just scratching the surface, where we should be and where we can be," Altman said. "It's a work in progress. I do like the step we made; I don't want to take away from that. But it's not like the light's on and we're there. We've got so far to go in our habits, and our communication's got a long way to go. …
"It's December 12, and we're behind where we need to be. We need to make progress in practice, and that progress needs to translate into games."
Notable: At halftime the Ducks hosted a "Teddy Bear Toss" to benefit Toys For Tots. Members of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, who organize the program, were on hand and collected 375 teddy bears donated by UO fans via throwing them from the stands onto the court. … Bol has now scored in double figures of the first nine games in his UO career. … By shooting 40.8 percent, San Diego became just the third UO opponent this season to exceed 40 percent.
Up Next: The Ducks host Boise State on Saturday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
The Toreros, who beat Colorado and lost by just three at Washington earlier in the season, led 29-20 before the Ducks (6-3) ramped up their defensive intensity late in the first half. Ehab Amin had four of Oregon's season-high 11 steals and the Ducks also blocked six shots on the night.
"It was a good win for us, no doubt," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We've gotta finish the nonconference strong. We've taken our lumps here in November and early December, and we've got to get better and finish the month strong."
How It Happened: A three-point play by Kenny Wooten and a three-pointer from Bol Bol got Oregon off to a solid start, but the Ducks' defense wasn't up to the task early on. San Diego hit a couple of wide-open threes to go up 8-6, and two more within four possessions midway through the first half to lead 26-20.
San Diego was up 29-20 when the lights went on for Oregon defensively. Over the final 4:31 of the first half, the Toreros had nine possessions and were hounded into six steals — three by Amin — and also a shot-clock violation. The Ducks finished the half on an 11-2 run, and trailed just 32-31 at the break.
"It was going to be Houston 2.0," Amin said, referring to Oregon's slow start in a loss at Houston on Dec. 1. "At home, we can't let that happen — get down 20 and then play hard."
The defensive energy carried over into the second half, with the Ducks blocking three shots in the first six minutes. Oregon took the lead for good on a bank shot by Bol for a 39-37 lead, and he hit two hook shots sandwiched around a Payton Pritchard three-pointer to make it 56-48. A late three-pointer got the Toreros within five at 58-53, but Louis King hit his first field goal of the night, a baseline jumper that helped quiet any comeback bid.
Who Stood Out: Bol finished with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including an array of midrange shots plus a pair of three-pointers. He added nine rebounds, narrowly missing his fifth double-double, plus four blocks. Pritchard added 12 points with seven assists. Amin had five points to go along with four steals, and though King was limited to one field goal in 14:14 of court time, his energy provided a boost, Altman said.
What It Means: San Diego runs one of the more efficient offenses among mid-majors nationally, so the Ducks' defense performance over the last 25 minutes hinted at their potential to be a strong defensive team when the motivation is there.
"We're just scratching the surface, where we should be and where we can be," Altman said. "It's a work in progress. I do like the step we made; I don't want to take away from that. But it's not like the light's on and we're there. We've got so far to go in our habits, and our communication's got a long way to go. …
"It's December 12, and we're behind where we need to be. We need to make progress in practice, and that progress needs to translate into games."
Notable: At halftime the Ducks hosted a "Teddy Bear Toss" to benefit Toys For Tots. Members of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, who organize the program, were on hand and collected 375 teddy bears donated by UO fans via throwing them from the stands onto the court. … Bol has now scored in double figures of the first nine games in his UO career. … By shooting 40.8 percent, San Diego became just the third UO opponent this season to exceed 40 percent.
Up Next: The Ducks host Boise State on Saturday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
SD
ORE
FG%
.408
.426
3FG%
.250
.267
FT%
.727
.714
RB
31
35
TO
16
9
STL
1
11
Game Leaders
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
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