How it happened: Ducks’ big second half allows them to advance in the NIT
Oregon liked playing the Aggies so much it’s going to try it again.
The Ducks went on the road and defeated Utah State 83-72 and will travel to another team called the Aggies, Texas A&M, for the second round of the NIT. Oregon’s victory was Dana Altman’s 300th win as the Duck head coach and it also marked his 12th consecutive 20-win season in Eugene.
Utah State was up 37-33 at the halftime break, but it was a completely different story in the second half as the Ducks used their superior athletic ability on the Aggies. Oregon continually went to the basket, more specifically, Jacob Young, and the Ducks dominated the Mountain West squad.
Young scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and De’Vion Harmon kept the Ducks in the game with his 16 first half points.
Final Score Oregon 83, Utah State 72
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Keys to the game
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Oregon went on a 10-2 run to begin the game by going inside and using their height advantage. Franck Kepnang and Rivaldo Soares each scored in the key to give the Ducks the early lead.
Utah State called timeout and for some reason, their three-point shots were finding the mark. Steven Ashworth knocked down four treys and the Aggies went on a 13-0 run to take lead for the rest of the first half.
Both Jacob Young and Quincy Guerrier picked up two early fouls, forcing Oregon coach Dana Altman to go deep into his bench and play Aaron Johnson and Lok Wur.
The one Duck who had a big first half was De’Vion Harmon as he went into the halftime break leading all scorers with 16 points.
Just like the first half, the Ducks went inside and began the final 20 minutes of action on a 10-2 run to take the lead for the first time since the initial portion of the contest.
Unlike the first half, however, the Ducks shut down the Aggies three-point attack. There would be no barrage of shots falling from the outside and Oregon didn’t go away from going to the hoop. All of that spelled out the Ducks outscoring the home team 50-35 in the second half.
Oregon’s defense was able to take out Utah State’s leading scorer, Justin Bean, out of his game. He came into the contest averaging nearly 18 points a game, but Bean could only muster up nine points and going 2-of-12 from the field for the night.
Players of the Game
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De’Vion Harmon: 19 points, 8-13 FG
Jacob Young: 17 points, 6-13 FG
Rivaldo Soares: 13 points
What's next?
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon will now travel to Texas A&M, the No. 1 seed in this bracket for the second round of the NIT. The Aggies advanced thanks to a 74-62 win over Alcorn State.
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