University of Oregon
16-7, 6-4
Washington
14-8, 3-7
Young Hits Winner Vs. Huskies To Surpass 2,000 Career Points
02/05/15 | Men's Basketball
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. – Joseph Young surpassed 2,000 points for his career with the game-winning basket in Oregon's 78-74 victory over Washington in Matthew Knight Arena on Wednesday.
How It Happened: In a game in which both teams shot better than 50 percent, the Ducks and Huskies went back and forth all evening. The last of 12 ties was at 74-74 with less than a minute left, when Young drove the lane to give Oregon (16-7, 6-4 Pac-12) the lead. Washington (14-8, 3-7) took two timeouts to set up its ensuing play, but UO senior Jalil Abdul-Bassit tipped a pass and Jordan Bell secured it for the turnover. Abdul-Bassit made two free throws with less than a second left, and the Ducks had their fourth win in five games.
Washington was able to penetrate the lane and get to the basket most of the night, doing so four trips in a row to build an early 19-12 lead. A three by Abdul-Bassit sparked a 10-0 run for Oregon to make it 31-25, and the Ducks took a 42-37 lead into halftime. The Huskies scored eight straight out of the break to take the lead, with the Ducks finally grabbing the advantage again at 58-57 when Dillon Brooks passed from underneath the hoop to Casey Benson, who swung it around the arc to Dwayne Benjamin, who in turn passed to Young for three. Young's next jumper made it 62-60, and the Ducks never trailed again.
Who Stood Out: Young finished with 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting, playing all 40 minutes in a game in which every possession mattered. Cook added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Bell and Brooks each grabbed eight rebounds.
What It Means: The Ducks have seemingly regained some momentum after a disheartening loss at Arizona, rebounding with an overtime win at ASU before Wednesday's victory over the Huskies. With seven games left in the regular season, Oregon needs every win it can get to stay in NCAA Tournament contention.
Quotable: “Elgin set the last screen, and that really opened it up for me to drive and make a play. We had some defensive plays we didn't complete, but we're getting better.” – Young
“We've just got to guard better. I think it's really obvious to everybody, and if you look at our seven losses, they've all been defense-related. But today we had good offensive production.” – Dana Altman
Odds and Ends: After the game it was announced that Oregon's Feb. 22 game against Utah will feature $15 tickets, and will be the first public viewing of the Heisman and Rose Bowl championship trophies. … Bell went without a blocked shot for the first time this season, contributing to UW's .566 shooting. … Oregon won its 113th game over the past five seasons, tying a record set twice before. … Brooks' eight rebounds were his most in conference play this season.
Up Next: The Ducks host Washington State on Sunday (4 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
