MBB Recap: Ducks hold off WSU comeback, advance to Pac-12 semifinal vs. UCLA
For the first 15 minutes of the game, it looked as if the Oregon Ducks were going to cruise into their semifinal matchup with the UCLA Bruins on Friday night. And then things got tight.
After building a 19-point lead in the first half, the Ducks allowed Washington State to come all the way back and eventually take a lead in the second half. It caused the Ducks to fight until the bitter end, and ultimately they were able to knock down some clutch free throws and pull out a 75-70 victory.
Now the Ducks will advance to the next round of the Pac-12 tournament and face the No. 1 seeded UCLA Bruins on Friday night. Before that, let’s take a closer look at how things went down on Thursday. Here’s what happened:
Final Score: Oregon 75, UCLA 70
Mar 9, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks center N’Faly Dante (1) dunks against the Washington State Cougars during the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Keys to the game
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The Ducks did a good job of establishing N’Faly Dante early in the game, getting him a number of post touches and a pair of close-range looks in the opening minutes. It was Keeshawn Barthelemy who then took over the scoring roll off the bench and had 6 quick points to give Oregon a 19-11 lead.
To be honest, this was a version of the Ducks that we have rarely seen this year in the opening half. They were taking great shots on offense and getting a majority of their points in the paint, and being active on defense diving for loose balls and coming away with tips and steals. Oregon led 25-12 with about 8 minutes left in the half.
A 9-0 run from Oregon stretched the lead to 34-15 after a massive dunk from Dante and a drained three from Couisnard. However, Washington State answered with a 10-0 run to cut the lead to single digits before the half. The Ducks didn’t score in the final 3:17 of the half and took only a 38-30 lead into the break.
Nate Bittle gave the Ducks a spark defensively at the start of the second half, taking a pair of charges and getting a big steal as Oregon went into a full court press. Bittle also picked up a block as well.
Washington State stayed persistent. They cut it to a 2-point game with under 13 minutes left. Once Oregon built up a 4-point lead again, the refs missed a goaltending call on WSU that gave the Cougars an open 3-pointer at the other end to make it a 1-point game. The Cougars ultimately took the lead with 9:06 remaining after an 8-0 run.
The Ducks and Cougars traded the lead back and forth for several minutes, mostly at the free-throw line. The offensive play of Barthelemy really kept the Ducks in the game late.
Dante got a massive block on the defensive end with just 28 seconds left, but came down on the side of his foot and had to be helped off of the floor.
With just 10 seconds left on the clock, the Ducks struggled to get the ball inbounds with a 3-point lead. However, after a couple of timeouts, they were able to inbound it to Rivaldo Soares, who was fouled and hit two free throws to ice the game and the victory.
Players of the Game
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
N’Faly Dante: 16 points, 11 rebounds
Keeshawn Barthelemy: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Jermaine Couisnard: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Key Stats to Know
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon led by as much as 19 in the first half, but failed to score for the final 3:17 and left the lead to dwindle to 8 points at the break.
The Ducks had 26 points in the paint in the first half, with N’Faly Dante scoring 10 points and 7 rebounds at the break.
Ducks shot 51% (16-for-31) in the first half.
Will Richardson scored his first points of the game with under 5 minutes left in the second half.
N’Faly Dante picked up his fifth double-double in the last 6 games.
Washington State went scoreless for the final 3:36 of the game.
What's Next?
The Ducks will face the No. 1 seeded UCLA Bruins in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT. Oregon is 0-2 against the Bruins this season.
