University of Oregon
Idaho
Vandals Hold Off Ducks, 69-65, in Mac Court Nailbiter
12/22/10 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Oregon men's basketball team played Idaho close throughout the night, but the Ducks struggled shooting from the floor in a 69-65 loss at McArthur Court on Tuesday night.
The contest featured 11 ties and six lead changes while neither team led by more than seven points. Oregon wraps up its non-conference schedule at 7-5.
Both teams started slowly in the opening moments of the game, combining for one field goal in the first three minutes of play. The first half was close throughout, featuring five ties and eight lead changes with neither squad jumping ahead by more than five points.
Oregon's pressure defense forced Idaho into 10 turnovers in the opening stanza, but the Vandals shot 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the floor and took a 40-35 lead into the break.
Malcolm Armstead caught fire at the start of the second half and brought the Ducks within a point, 46-45, on a pair of three-pointers and an assist.
The Vandals extended their lead back to five points, but the Ducks responded with an 8-2 spurt to grab their first lead of the second half at 55-54. Joevan Catron scored six straight UO points and Jeremy Jacob's jumper capped the rally.
A pair of Stephen Madison free throws put UI back in front, 57-55, with 7:03 remaining. The Vandals upped their lead to seven on two more makes from the charity stripe and a three-pointer.
Following a timeout, Oregon called upon E.J. Singler to stem the tide. The sophomore cut the deficit to five on a pair of free throws, drew a charge, gathered an offensive rebound and assisted on a Catron bucket to bring the Ducks back to within three points.
An Armstead free throw made it 64-62 with just over a minute left, UI's Brandon Wiley converted a layup to make it a two-score game on the ensuing possession and the Ducks would not get any closer the rest of the way.
Idaho shot 48.9 percent from the field and made 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) three-point tries. The Ducks struggled shooting throughout, connecting on only 33.8 percent of its shots, including a 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) mark from beyond the arc. The Vandals had a slight edge (35-34) in rebounding. The Ducks forced 16 turnovers and coughed it up only eight times themselves.
Catron paced the UO offense with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Singler poured in 11 points and Armstead also cracked double figures with 10 points. Singler, Catron and Jacob each tied a game high with six rebounds.
The Ducks take a nine-day holiday break and step back onto the court on Dec. 30, when they host Arizona to open up Pac-10 play.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Oregon attempted only 13 free throws, the fourth lowest total of the season. They shot a season-high 92.3 percent from the charity stripe (going 12-of-13).
- The Ducks gave up 40 points in the first half which tied for the second-highest opponent scoring total this season. UO gave up 44 points in the first half against Missouri, and 40 points in the neutral-site loss to top-ranked Duke.
- Joevan Catron (18 points) led the Ducks in scoring for the ninth time this season (fourth time in five games).
- Malcolm Armstead's four steals matched a career-high and established a new season best. He scored 10 points, the fourth time this season Armstead has reached double figures.
- E.J. Singler (11 points) reached double figures in scoring for the 10th time this season. He also tied a career-high with three steals. Singler's six rebounds was a team-high, the fifth time this season he's led the team (or tied for the team lead) in that category.
