Saturday, January 5
Eugene, OR
5:00 PM
University of Oregon
9-5
72
vs
77
Oregon State
9-4
1
2
F
Oregon St.
38
39
77
Oregon
25
47
72
Photo by: Samuel Marshall/Eric Evans Photography
Furious Rally Comes Up Just Short
01/05/19 | Men's Basketball
The Oregon men got 17 points from freshman Louis King and employed a swarming press defense in the second half but couldn't complete a comeback against OSU.
EUGENE, Ore. — A packed Matthew Knight Arena came alive in the second half Saturday as the Oregon men rallied from down double digits to lead in the waning minutes, but Oregon State scored the final six points in a 77-72 win over the Ducks to open Pac-12 Conference play.
Down as much as 18 early in the second half, Oregon used a pressing defense to hound the Beavers into repeated turnovers, setting up transition points for the Ducks. Victor Bailey Jr. hit two free throws with 1:10 left to put the UO men up 72-71, but the Ducks missed their final four shots and OSU clinched the win at the free-throw line.
"Second half we were playing with our backs against the wall," UO senior Paul White said. "We knew we had to fight. We fought to the very end. I'm proud of my team."
How It Happened: Oregon State led 38-25 at halftime, and opened the second half with a Tres Tinkle three-pointer and a transition dunk by Ethan Thompson. That put Oregon in an 18-point hole, setting the stage for a comeback few would have predicted at that point. It was 47-30 when the Ducks began to claw their way back, with two free throws by Payton Pritchard and then a steal by Ehab Amin that set up a Pritchard three-pointer.
The Beavers kept the Ducks at arm's length for the next few minutes, until a Louis King three-pointer and then Amin's steal and basket made it a 10-point game, 60-50. A White three-pointer got Oregon back within single digits at 62-55, and Matthew Knight Arena was beginning to come alive. Riding a wave of energy from the crowd on the defensive end, the Ducks followed a Bailey three-pointer by forcing a turnover on a 5-second inbounds call, after which Pritchard finished an and-one to make it 66-63. After another OSU turnover on an inbounds play, King made it a one-point game and the Beavers needed a timeout.
That couldn't stop Oregon's momentum, as the Ducks forced two more turnovers in a row; King made two free throws after the second, and the UO men had their first lead of the second half, 67-66. The teams went back and forth over the next few minutes, with Bailey giving the UO men their last lead at 72-71, but the Beavers got to the free-throw line to come away with the win.
"We dug ourselves a big hole with a lot of bad shots and poor ball movement and poor execution in the first half," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We were down big on the boards. … We did fight back. We got some energy from the crowd; I thought the crowd was great, gave us a big lift there, got us back in there. But then we just fouled too much at the end."
Oregon's full-court defensive pressure in the second half helped the Ducks overcome OSU's size advantage, which was on display in the first half. The Beavers had a 24-12 advantage in points in the paint over the first 20 minutes, and a 23-11 edge in rebounding. The Ducks had an early 17-16 lead on a basket by Miles Norris, but then went scoreless for 4:51 as OSU built a 25-17 lead. The Ducks fought back within 25-22, but the Beavers closed the half on a 13-3 run.
Who Stood Out: King established a new career high with 17 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. White scored 17 on 5-of-9 shooting, Pritchard added 14 points with six assists and Bailey scored 11.
What It Means: The Ducks demonstrated their resiliency in the absence of injured big men Bol Bol and Kenny Wooten, but know they must start games faster.
"I know I've got some fighters with me," White said. "That's something I never questioned. It's just about, in the first half, us putting ourselves in a better position."
Notable: Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal sat courtside with his family. … Most of the game was played with just two officials, after the third left with an injury in the first half. … The Beavers last won in Eugene on Jan. 29, 2012.
Up Next: The Ducks host UCLA in Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU).
Down as much as 18 early in the second half, Oregon used a pressing defense to hound the Beavers into repeated turnovers, setting up transition points for the Ducks. Victor Bailey Jr. hit two free throws with 1:10 left to put the UO men up 72-71, but the Ducks missed their final four shots and OSU clinched the win at the free-throw line.
"Second half we were playing with our backs against the wall," UO senior Paul White said. "We knew we had to fight. We fought to the very end. I'm proud of my team."
How It Happened: Oregon State led 38-25 at halftime, and opened the second half with a Tres Tinkle three-pointer and a transition dunk by Ethan Thompson. That put Oregon in an 18-point hole, setting the stage for a comeback few would have predicted at that point. It was 47-30 when the Ducks began to claw their way back, with two free throws by Payton Pritchard and then a steal by Ehab Amin that set up a Pritchard three-pointer.
The Beavers kept the Ducks at arm's length for the next few minutes, until a Louis King three-pointer and then Amin's steal and basket made it a 10-point game, 60-50. A White three-pointer got Oregon back within single digits at 62-55, and Matthew Knight Arena was beginning to come alive. Riding a wave of energy from the crowd on the defensive end, the Ducks followed a Bailey three-pointer by forcing a turnover on a 5-second inbounds call, after which Pritchard finished an and-one to make it 66-63. After another OSU turnover on an inbounds play, King made it a one-point game and the Beavers needed a timeout.
That couldn't stop Oregon's momentum, as the Ducks forced two more turnovers in a row; King made two free throws after the second, and the UO men had their first lead of the second half, 67-66. The teams went back and forth over the next few minutes, with Bailey giving the UO men their last lead at 72-71, but the Beavers got to the free-throw line to come away with the win.
"We dug ourselves a big hole with a lot of bad shots and poor ball movement and poor execution in the first half," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We were down big on the boards. … We did fight back. We got some energy from the crowd; I thought the crowd was great, gave us a big lift there, got us back in there. But then we just fouled too much at the end."
Oregon's full-court defensive pressure in the second half helped the Ducks overcome OSU's size advantage, which was on display in the first half. The Beavers had a 24-12 advantage in points in the paint over the first 20 minutes, and a 23-11 edge in rebounding. The Ducks had an early 17-16 lead on a basket by Miles Norris, but then went scoreless for 4:51 as OSU built a 25-17 lead. The Ducks fought back within 25-22, but the Beavers closed the half on a 13-3 run.
Who Stood Out: King established a new career high with 17 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. White scored 17 on 5-of-9 shooting, Pritchard added 14 points with six assists and Bailey scored 11.
What It Means: The Ducks demonstrated their resiliency in the absence of injured big men Bol Bol and Kenny Wooten, but know they must start games faster.
"I know I've got some fighters with me," White said. "That's something I never questioned. It's just about, in the first half, us putting ourselves in a better position."
Notable: Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal sat courtside with his family. … Most of the game was played with just two officials, after the third left with an injury in the first half. … The Beavers last won in Eugene on Jan. 29, 2012.
Up Next: The Ducks host UCLA in Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU).
Team Stats
OSU
ORE
FG%
.510
.377
3FG%
.316
.333
FT%
.905
.688
RB
38
29
TO
18
10
STL
4
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
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