University of Oregon
Denver
Ducks Pull Away From Pioneers at BTI Invitational
11/14/10 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. -- For the second consecutive night, the Oregon men's basketball team rallied from a halftime deficit to earn a victory in the BTI Invitational.
The Ducks (2-0) outscored Denver (0-2), 40-24, in the second half to erase a four-point deficit and pull away with a 68-56 win at McArthur Court on Saturday night.
The first half was a seasaw battle that saw five ties and three lead changes. UO started strong, holding a 25-17 lead with 6:23 remaining in the opening stanza. The Pioneers caught fire from three-point range late in the half and closed the frame on a 15-3 run to grab a 32-28 lead at the break.
For the second consecutive night, Oregon came out with an early surge to start the second half, starting the frame with six consecutive points to regain the lead.
The contest continued to go back and forth throughout the second half as the lead changed hands nine times and was tied on five more occasions.
With 8:47 remaining, the Pioneers erased another Ducks' lead on a layup by Justin Coughlin to take a 49-48 lead, but Joevan Catron came right back with a bucket of his own to put UO back in front.
DU raced back down the court again and a Chase Hallam jumper put the Pioneers back ahead at 51-50. Catron was a force again on the following possession, this time answering the score with a three-point play to put the Ducks up by two with under eight minutes to go. The basket started a 12-1 run that gave UO its first double-digit lead of the night at 62-52, a lead that did not get below eight the rest of the way.
Catron led all scorers with 20 points, the second-consecutive night the senior has cracked the 20-point barrier. Malcolm Armstead and E.J. Singler joined Catron in double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Garrett Sim did yeoman's work on the glass, finishing with a game-high six rebounds. Armstead also led the Ducks with three assists.
Oregon edged out Denver in field goal percentage, 41.3 percent to 40.5 percent, while also finishing with a 30-22 advantage in rebounds. The Ducks forced 14 Pioneer turnovers and committed only 10. Denver did win the three-point battle, shooting 8-for-14 and holding Oregon to 2-for-11 from beyond the arc. The biggest difference came in the free throw shooting, where UO went 28-for-37, including 24-for-29 in the second half, while DU went 14-for-19.
The Ducks close out the BTI Invitational on Sunday night when they host UC Santa Barbara. Opening tipoff at Mac Court is at 6 p.m.
