Oregon men’s basketball squashes UTEP despite turnover issues
Though the Oregon men’s basketball team dominated UTEP in just about every category Saturday night at Matthew Knight Arena, it wasn’t until late that the Ducks pulled away for a 71-49 win.
The Ducks (6-2) shot 54.5% from the field and averaged over a point per possession. They won the rebound battle, 32-26, scored 24 points off the bench to the Miners’ 10, and made 10 more free throws.
Still, until a late surge helped the Ducks pull away, the game was close. Oregon held on to a 28-25 lead at the halftime break, and the largest culprit was 12 first half turnovers.
The Ducks finished with 18.
For the entire first half and a good chunk of the second, the Ducks had more turnovers than made baskets.
Oregon coach Dana Altman said the Ducks were stronger with the ball in the second half.
“We just stood up that first half and let them be the aggressor," Altman said. "In the second half, when we went to the basket, we went a little harder and finished some plays, which makes a big difference.”
Jermaine Couisnard made a big impact in the second half, scoring 15 of his game-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and five steals.
Still navigating its identity without big men N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle, freshman forward Kwame Evans Jr. had his best game with 12 points, six rebounds and five steals, and Jackson Shelstad and Keeshawn Barthelemy each scored 11. Jadrian Tracey added 10 points to round out double figure scorers.
“First half we came out really slow,” Evans said. “We weren’t running like we usually do. Second half we just turned up the energy and started a lot better and rebounded and played defense.”
The Ducks have a few days rest before taking on Cal Baptist at 7 p.m. Tuesday back at Matthew Knight Arena.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon men’s basketball downs UTEP at Matthew Knight Arena
