University of Oregon
22-12
Arizona State
22-10
Duck Vets Refuse to Lose
03/16/19 | Men's Basketball
The Oregon men's basketball team advances to the final of the Pac-12 Tournament after defeating second-seeded ASU, 79-75, in overtime on Friday.
Las Vegas – They were bloodied. They were bruised. They hobbled around on bum ankles. But after 45 minutes of a Pac-12 semifinal game that more resembled a heavyweight brawl Friday night at T-Mobile Arena, the Ducks did what champions do.
Survive and advance.
Oregon's three veterans - Paul White, Payton Pritchard and Ehab Amin - combined for 45 points to lead Oregon to a 79-75 victory in overtime over Arizona State to advance to Saturday's Pac-12 Championship game against Washington (7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN).
"To the guys' credit, they stayed with it," said Oregon head coach Dana Altman. "We got some stops. We finally hit some baskets. We could have made it easier on ourself getting a few more throws, but really pleased with the guys fighting back.
"We're down six, and two seniors here really hit two big shots, Paul, a little pop play, and Ehab in the corner that got us tied up. And really made big, big shots there. And that's what seniors do, and to their credit they really did."
Oregon will again turn to that senior leadership when the Ducks make their fourth Pac-12 Championship game appearance in the last five years.
How It Happened: Arizona State's Kimani Lawrence drove towards the baseline and knocked down a jumper with Louis King's hand in his face to put the Sun Devils up 67-64 with a little over two minutes left in regulation.
Down three with rowdy ASU fans cheering on their team in the background, Oregon in-bounded the ball and took it up the court. Payton Pritchard drove to the basket – drawing the double team – and found Ehab Amin wide open in the corner. With no hesitation, Amin let it fly. Tie ball game.
Arizona State had a chance to take the lead with a little over a minute left, but a monstrous block by Kenny Wooten on a Romelo White layup kept the Ducks alive, and two more missed jumpers by ASU in the closing seconds produced overtime in Las Vegas.
The Ducks came into their own during the overtime period. On the first possession, Louis King found Wooten up top for an alley-oop, giving the Ducks a two-point edge, and a lead that they wouldn't surrender.
Arizona State continued to play as tough and as physical as it had been all game, threatening Oregon's lead by getting within three points after a trio of free throws. But a King free throw and a Pritchard offensive rebound with :10 left secured the Ducks a spot in the championship game.
Oregon found itself in overtime due to some huge opening minutes, beginning the night on a 7-0 run thanks to a three-pointer by Paul White, followed by a baseline jumper by Wooten and another bucket by King. From there, the Ducks maintained control of the first half, extending their lead to as many as 12 points off a King three-pointer. Oregon's defense also played a large role, as the Ducks scored an impressive 15 points off of seven ASU turnovers to take a 35-28 lead heading into the locker room.
Out of the break, the Sun Devils came out hot, starting to close the halftime gap. At 16:06, ASU's on-court leader, Remy Martin, hit a three pointer to give the Sun Devils their first lead of the game, 39-38. Martin sparked a momentum shift for Arizona State, as it went on an 18-1 run, extending their lead to 46-38 and forcing Dana Altman to call a timeout.
King scored 10-straight points right out of the huddle, giving the rest of the team and fans some energy for what seemed like the first time all half. This allowed Oregon to stay in the game even with Arizona State getting up by as many as seven points, 64-57, with 4:34 left. The veterans – Amin, Pritchard and White – drew on their past experiences, scoring the final 10 points of regulation to help send the Ducks to overtime and come out on top.
Who Stood Out: Payton Pritchard scored 18 points and has back-to-back tournament games in double figures. He also had eight assists … Louis King registered 19 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals … Paul White recorded 14 points and tied his career high with seven rebounds … Ehab Amin had 13 points, six rebounds and three steals … Kenny Wooten notched four blocks.
Notable: With Friday's win, Dana Altman became the winningest coach in Pac-12 Tournament history. It was his 18th, which moved him past Arizona's Sean Miller … No one has won more Pac-12 Tournament games in Las Vegas than Oregon. The Ducks are 16-4 since the league moved the championship to the desert in 2013 … Oregon blocked 10 shots in the semifinal matchup, which was one shy of the tournament's single-game record … With sixth assist of the night, Payton Pritchard has passed Johnathan Loyd (458/2010-14) for fifth in UO career assists. Pritchard finished the night with 461 career assists … Oregon scored 25 points off 14 ASU turnovers, including 15 in the first half … The 2019 Pac-12 Championship game will mark the first-ever meeting between the No. 1 and No. 6 seeds in tournament history … ASU is the first team to score more than 61 points against the Ducks in seven games.
Quotable:
Ehab Amin, senior guard
"Our season was on the line. So as a senior, it was a really emotional for me. And just was super happy and excited."
Paul White, senior forward
"The adrenaline carried us through to the finish line. I think everyone was not worrying about it themselves or anything. We just wanted to get the win for the team."
Up Next: Pac-12 Tournament championship game versus Washington, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN).
