Sunday, February 22
Eugene, Ore.
12:00 PM
University of Oregon
20-8, 10-5
69
vs
58
Utah
21-5, 11-3
1
2
F
Utah
27
31
58
Oregon
32
37
69
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Upset Utes, Boost NCAA R?sum?
02/22/15 | Men's Basketball
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon's NCAA Tournament resume got a major boost and the Ducks reached 20 wins for a school-record fifth straight season with Sunday's 69-58 victory over No. 9 Utah in Matthew Knight Arena.
How It Happened: The first half was relatively even until a 12-2 run by the Ducks (20-8, 10-5 Pac-12) put them up 28-21. Ahmaad Rorie and Casey Benson hit three-pointers during the spurt, and Elgin Cook scored the final four points. Oregon got just four points from Joseph Young during the first half, while Utah big man Jakob Poeltl played only three minutes due to foul trouble.
After trailing 32-27 at the half, the Utes (21-5, 11-3) were down 39-32 early in the second half before mounting a run to get within 46-44. Oregon led 48-45 when freshman Dillon Brooks exploded for 11 straight UO points, driving the lane for an emphatic slam dunk to put an exclamation point on the run. The dunk made it 59-52, and after a Delon Wright three-pointer got the Utes back within four, Young hit a corner three off an inbounds play that served as a dagger with 1:50 left.
Who Stood Out: This was a team win all the way around. The Ducks outrebounded the Utes, 35-31, hounded them into 36.5 percent shooting overall (19-of-52) and 27.6 percent three-point shooting (8-of-29), while making 83.3 percent of their free throws. But when they needed points down the stretch and it was clear Young was struggling with his shot, Brooks stepped up. The freshman scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and led the Ducks in rebounds as well with seven.
What It Means: Oregon needed a high-profile win to boost its NCAA Tournament hopes, and posted a big-time upset for the second straight year after beating Arizona to close the 2014 regular season. The Ducks also remain in strong position for a first-round bye at the Pac-12 Tournament.
Quotable:
Joseph Young, senior guard
On his reaction to the win
"Where this team has come, before the season coming into now, with the work we put it, it's still not done. But for the last three weeks this team really has been putting in the work, going 100 percent in practice."
Jalil Abdul-Bassit, senior guard
On the senior day atmosphere
"I feel like every home game's a great atmosphere, but this one was special. Especially on senior night, it was very amazing."
Dana Altman, UO coach
On the Ducks' effort
"We haven't done that defensively and on the boards against a really good team. So I'm really happy about that. ... A lot of good things. A lot of positives. We've just got to keep getting better."
Odds and Ends: Oregon held its senior day ceremony after the game — and after the student section rushed the floor — to honor Young, Abdul-Bassit and walk-on Tim Jensen. ... Young's 14 points gave him 1,195 in his two seasons at Oregon, 21st on the UO career scoring list and second behind Terrell Brandon for a two-year span. ... Jordan Bell's two blocked shots put the freshman at 77 for the season, fourth on the UO career leaderboard. ... Though Cook had three turnovers at halftime, the rest of the Ducks combined for just one in the first 20 minutes. ... The Oregon football team's Pac-12 and Rose Bowl championship were on public display prior to tipoff, as was the program's version of Marcus Mariota's Heisman Trophy. Members of the football team were introduced at halftime. ... Sunday's attendance of 10,725 was the best at Matthew Knight Arena, exceeding the 8,829 who watched the Ducks host Arizona on Jan. 8.
Up Next: The Ducks kick off a three-game road trip to close out conference play at California on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPNU).
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon's NCAA Tournament resume got a major boost and the Ducks reached 20 wins for a school-record fifth straight season with Sunday's 69-58 victory over No. 9 Utah in Matthew Knight Arena.
How It Happened: The first half was relatively even until a 12-2 run by the Ducks (20-8, 10-5 Pac-12) put them up 28-21. Ahmaad Rorie and Casey Benson hit three-pointers during the spurt, and Elgin Cook scored the final four points. Oregon got just four points from Joseph Young during the first half, while Utah big man Jakob Poeltl played only three minutes due to foul trouble.
After trailing 32-27 at the half, the Utes (21-5, 11-3) were down 39-32 early in the second half before mounting a run to get within 46-44. Oregon led 48-45 when freshman Dillon Brooks exploded for 11 straight UO points, driving the lane for an emphatic slam dunk to put an exclamation point on the run. The dunk made it 59-52, and after a Delon Wright three-pointer got the Utes back within four, Young hit a corner three off an inbounds play that served as a dagger with 1:50 left.
Who Stood Out: This was a team win all the way around. The Ducks outrebounded the Utes, 35-31, hounded them into 36.5 percent shooting overall (19-of-52) and 27.6 percent three-point shooting (8-of-29), while making 83.3 percent of their free throws. But when they needed points down the stretch and it was clear Young was struggling with his shot, Brooks stepped up. The freshman scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and led the Ducks in rebounds as well with seven.
What It Means: Oregon needed a high-profile win to boost its NCAA Tournament hopes, and posted a big-time upset for the second straight year after beating Arizona to close the 2014 regular season. The Ducks also remain in strong position for a first-round bye at the Pac-12 Tournament.
Quotable:
Joseph Young, senior guard
On his reaction to the win
"Where this team has come, before the season coming into now, with the work we put it, it's still not done. But for the last three weeks this team really has been putting in the work, going 100 percent in practice."
Jalil Abdul-Bassit, senior guard
On the senior day atmosphere
"I feel like every home game's a great atmosphere, but this one was special. Especially on senior night, it was very amazing."
Dana Altman, UO coach
On the Ducks' effort
"We haven't done that defensively and on the boards against a really good team. So I'm really happy about that. ... A lot of good things. A lot of positives. We've just got to keep getting better."
Odds and Ends: Oregon held its senior day ceremony after the game — and after the student section rushed the floor — to honor Young, Abdul-Bassit and walk-on Tim Jensen. ... Young's 14 points gave him 1,195 in his two seasons at Oregon, 21st on the UO career scoring list and second behind Terrell Brandon for a two-year span. ... Jordan Bell's two blocked shots put the freshman at 77 for the season, fourth on the UO career leaderboard. ... Though Cook had three turnovers at halftime, the rest of the Ducks combined for just one in the first 20 minutes. ... The Oregon football team's Pac-12 and Rose Bowl championship were on public display prior to tipoff, as was the program's version of Marcus Mariota's Heisman Trophy. Members of the football team were introduced at halftime. ... Sunday's attendance of 10,725 was the best at Matthew Knight Arena, exceeding the 8,829 who watched the Ducks host Arizona on Jan. 8.
Up Next: The Ducks kick off a three-game road trip to close out conference play at California on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPNU).
Team Stats
UTAH
ORE
FG%
.365
.444
3FG%
.276
.353
FT%
.706
.833
RB
31
35
TO
14
11
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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