Dana Altman looked exhausted following Oregon’s 82-78 overtime win over visiting University of California Santa Barbara.
Altman, who had been stressing the importance of finishing out the non-conference schedule strong, knew how tough their two remaining games would be, and tonight, his team found out why the hard way.
Without big time plays from Casey Benson, Jordan Bell, and a late game surge by Jalil Abdul-Bassit in overtime, the Ducks (9-3) could have well ended their now seven-game winning streak in overtime contests.
“This is obviously only going to make us better as a team,” Benson said. “It shows a lot of resiliency. To not quit was obviously huge for us. It’s a big win against a good team.”
A not-so-costly miss
Joseph Young missed his third and fourth free throws of the season against the Gauchos.
How did an electrified Matthew Knight Arena crowd respond?
As well as their 95.5 percent foul line shooter.
“Well, I was shocked like everybody else,” Altman said. “We were fortunate we came back and won the game, but I was surprised, I think everybody was.”
Nearly perfect from the charity stripe this season, Young headed to the line with two seconds remaining after being fouled, and an opportunity to seal the game, but to everyone’s surprise, his second attempt rimmed out, giving the Gauchos (5-6) the opportunity to steal one on the road.
At the moment, it looked as though it was anyone’s game heading into extra time.
Young, who would later miss another free throw early in overtime, was naturally distraught, with misses coming so rarely, but it wouldn’t be as costly as it appeared at the time.
He still managed to finish with a team-high 25 points, a team-high 11 rebounds and four assists en route to his first double-double on the year.
It wasn’t pretty, but his teammates rallied around Young, eventually finding a way to win.
Fight until the end
From the get-go, it was a tightly contested game.
Leading 36-30 at halftime, the Ducks, who had successfully contained leading Gauchos scorer Alan Williams (17.7 points per game) to just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting, were pleased with their start, but there was a lot of ball left to be played.
Williams’ second half turnaround, which included 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting and five rebounds, stood as an obvious indicator.
Despite holding nine-point lead midway through the second half, the Gauchos, led by three-point specialist Michael Bryson (21 points, 4-of-6 shooting from the outside), who had 11 points in the half, fought back, setting up a high intensity environment and memorable finish.
The Ducks, who have had limited time together, however, held their own.
“The way it worked out, it was great experience for us,” Altman said.
Rookies step up 
Benson and Bell made their presence known down the final stretch.
Bell, who was Oregon’s main post defender on a night where Michael Chandler’s lack of conditioning came into play, may have given up a game-high 26 points to Williams, but he was also responsible for the game ending block as well as some crucial rebounding throughout the game.
Altman, who wasn’t outright impressed with Bell’s outing in the paint, did however, credit the freshman’s first real experience against a formidable post player, and it was for good reason.
“The exciting thing is he’s (Williams) an experienced senior and Jordan’s an experienced freshman. Jordan’s got a lot he can grow into.”
Bell isn’t likely going to face another 265-pound player this season, but tonight, he did just fine. He finished with five points, 10 rebounds, and added three blocks to the stat sheets as he continues to make his case for the nation’s leading individual blocker. Bell is currently among the top five for recorded blocks in the country.
Benson also had another impressive outing. The freshman guard, who has quickly found his way into the starting lineup, has been invaluable for the Ducks this season and it held most true tonight.
Finishing with seven points and three rebounds, Benson may not have jumped out on the box score, but his critical steals – the first coming at the 1:31 mark in the second half, giving Oregon a 70-69 lead, and the second coming with 15 seconds to go on what would be the Gauchos’ final possession – further solidified his importance to the team.
Benson, who said he liked being in high pressure situations, modestly thanked his teammates following the action packed win.
Said Benson: “Just wanted to make plays for our team and do whatever I could to help our team win.”
Abdul-Bassit’s career night 
Early this season, Altman was unsure about how much to use senior guard Abdul-Bassit.
As a streaky outside shooter, Abdul-Bassit has had his fair share of up and downs, but in these past few games, he has come into his own.
“Jalil played fantastic today,” Benson said. “Hitting shots, playing good defense, rebounding….gave us a huge lift.”
Abdul-Bassit’s eight-point run midway through the second half, was vital in helping the Ducks get back into the game after trailing by 12.
His 20 points against the Gauchos, also marked a new career-high for the Anchorage, Alaska native. 
Final notes 

• The Ducks have one non-conference game remaining against UC Irvine, which is set for an 8 p.m. start on December 29. It will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Networks.

• After coming off the bench last game, Dillon Brooks came out strong against the Gauchos in a starting role, scoring eight early points on 3-of-4 shooting. Altman did express some concerns last press conference about Brooks’ body language, but tonight, he had nothing but positive words for the freshman.

Said Altman: “It’s, not his attitude, it’s just his body language; he just doesn’t help his teammates. It’s a team game. He wants to do so well and when he doesn’t, he gets frustrated.”
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim