It may have taken longer than it wanted, but the Oregon men’s basketball team (22-8, 10-8 Pac-12) eventually edged out No. 3 ranked Arizona (28-3, 15-3) 64-57 in front of a sold out home crowd on senior night to conclude their regular season. With multiple key runs down the stretch, the Ducks managed to catch fire from the outside — hitting three straight three-pointers in the last few minutes — and capped off a seven-game winning streak. Despite the win, the Ducks won’t have a chance at a first round bye in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament.
“It feels good,” Mike Moser said about finishing the season with their seventh-straight win. “There was a point before that when we were in the locker room saying we had to win the next seven to really turn this season around. That was our goal and we got it done.”
On the first possession of the game, senior big man Waverly Austin drove to the basket and recorded the first points of the game. On the preceding possession, he picked up the first block of the game. In arguably the biggest game of the year, the Ducks couldn’t have asked for a more appropriate start. And while Arizona was persistent in snapping Oregon’s six-game winning streak, one last run led by Jason Calliste would be just enough to send their seven seniors off on a high note.
“We weren’t playing good,” Dana Altman said. “We were (just able to) turn it up with our fans and the energy that those fans produced, it helps a team. That’s why college basketball is a home court sport. Our crowd kept us in it and we made a nice run there in the last eight minutes.”
Following Austin’s opening act in the first minute of the game, Arizona quickly regained its composure and jumped out to an early 9-2 lead. The first half did belong to Arizona and its untouched lead was reflective of its performance. A designed play for Calliste, however, cut the deficit to 31-29 heading into the break. The Wildcats held a 22-14 rebounding advantage in the first half.
In the second half, both teams came out ready to play. Arizona continued to play its game at its pace — despite beginning the half 3-of-7 from the field — and it wasn’t really until the five-minute mark that the Ducks would make their biggest run of the season.
Beginning with a Calliste jumper at the 4:22 mark, the Ducks would string together a 9-0 run with three consecutive three-pointers to hold a 59-51 lead with just under three minutes to play. Judging by the reaction from the players and Altman following the game, it was a mixture of will and home crowd energy that put Oregon over Arizona in the end.
“The energy really hit full when we hit back-to-back threes,” Altman said. “At that time, the energy and the crowd, our defensive activity was unbelievable.”
For Oregon, the game essentially came down to two main areas: defense and turnovers. The Ducks forced 14 turnovers — just three shy of Arizona’s season-worst — against a team that is among the best teams in the country in regards to turnovers per game (10.5), and they did it with their press and aggressive defense. With that very defense, the Ducks also held Arizona under 60 points for the first time this season. @@http://www.arizonawildcats.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30700&SPID=127128&SPSID=750089@@
“That we can be one of the best teams in the country,” Calliste said about what this win says about Oregon. “Doesn’t matter who we’re playing, doesn’t matter about the name on your chest, just got to go out and play.”
In a game where Mike Moser and Joseph Young shot a combined 7-of-23 from the field for just 18 points, the Ducks didn’t have much to hang their hat on on the offensive end. It was their defense and final run that led them to the win today and it was representative of their late season run they have put together.
Leading the way for Arizona were Aaron Gordon and Kaleb Tarczewski. Gordon finished with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds, while Tarczewski added 12 points and five rebounds. Nick Johnson, who had a game-high 18 points in the first matchup, was held to just 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting. @@http://www.arizonawildcats.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209429283&DB_OEM_ID=30700@@
For Oregon, seniors Calliste and Johnathan Loyd led the way. In addition to his late-game heroics, Calliste finished with a team-high 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Loyd added 16 points and three steals. The two guards were key during Oregon’s last run.
“I just didn’t want to lose,” Calliste said. “If we lose, it was (going) to be on me because I’m going to shoot it regardless. So I just put the team on my back.”
Moser also recorded his fourth-straight double-double, which was the first time since Maarty Leunen back in 2007. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209429665&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
After beginning conference play 1-5, the Ducks have climbed their way back into NCAA tournament contention. The Pac-12 tournament may still decide whether or not the Ducks will make it to the dance this year, but as of now, they are as close as they will be in regards to receiving a bid. Next Wednesday, the Ducks will take on in-state rival Oregon State in the first round of the conference tournament.
“We for sure know we can go down there (Las Vegas) and do it (make a run) again,” Loyd said. “We can make some noise, we’ve got all the weapons, we’ve got a lot of depth, we’ve got to win four games in four days, but it’s definitely possible for us to do.”
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim