After a slap steal by Kwame Evans Jr, the ball was tossed across the court. 

Once Jermaine Couisnard had possession, he put the ball behind his head and tossed it across the perimeter to Brennan Rigsby. The receive-and-shoot from behind the arch would give Oregon an 8-0 run in 45 seconds to push the score to 36-18 with three minutes left in the half. 

“Jermaine is our leader,” head coach Dana Altman said. “He’s the guy in charge.”

After a messy tipoff, Oregon (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12) played clean. Rebounds, wide-open threes and smooth, fast-paced perimeter passes in the motion offense would lead to a eight-point win over USC (6-6, 0-1 Pac-12) in the Ducks’ first conference test of the season. 

The first points didn’t come until two minutes into the first half. Shortly after USC put up its first basket, Mo Diawara drew an and-one on a hookshot jumper to kick things off for the Ducks. From that moment on, Thursday’s game belonged to Oregon. Back-to-back wide open threes from Jackson Shelstad and three-consecutive rebounds from Rigsby created an 11-2 lead two minutes after the first basket was scored. 
Bronny James ended the Ducks’ 10-point scoring run with a three that later turned into the Trojans cutting the deficit to four. A nearly four-minute scoring drought for both teams would end after a three from Kario Oquendo. While USC tried to keep the game close, Oregon’s perimeter shooting would stop that from happening. The Ducks’ 40% from 3-point range at the half would be the defining factor.

With seven minutes left in the quarter, the score was 20-11 in favor of the Ducks with both teams going on a three-minute scoring drought. Oregon would continue with deep shots — with most of them being in the 3-point range — and would grab offensive rebounds with game-leading six, but they just wouldn’t land. 

Mid-range jumpers within 30 seconds of each other from Rigsby and Shelstad would break that streak, keeping the distance from USC at 10. 

The steal by Evans Jr. turned Rigsby three would put Oregon up by 18 with three minutes left in the half. When the buzzer went off, the Trojans’ 25 points would be one of its lowest scoring-halves of the season.  

“I was really happy with our first half,” Altman said. “Our activity was so good.”

When both teams returned to the court, USC’s Boogie Ellis was fouled on a made three. After missing the free throw, the Trojans were given the ball back after it being knocked out of bounds and turned it into a layup. An immediate five points wouldn’t do much on the scoreboard, but it would become a momentum shift. 
“They definitely came out with more pressure,” Shelstad said. “I think we came out a little too comfortable.”
Within the first four minutes of the second half, USC turned a 17-point deficit into an eight-point one. An and-one from Evans Jr. would be the only points that Oregon would score during that stretch before the Trojans went on a 7-0 scoring run within the span of two minutes. 
Evans Jr. would be the only one responsible for the Ducks’ points in the beginning minutes of the second half. A 3-pointer would break the scoring drought and it wouldn’t be until the 13-minute mark when Shelstad had a driving and-one layup that another Duck would score in the half. A steal from him immediately following his free-throw would give Oregon another opportunity to extend the lead, but instead it turned into a blocked shot and a layup by USC.

Evans Jr.’s third 3-pointer and a turnaround jumper from Shelstad would push the lead back to nine. The Trojans would respond by cutting the deficit to six, the lowest of the night, but Oregon would have a response of its own with a driving layup from Evans Jr. and an and-one by Oquendo. 

A reverse layup from Keeshawn Barthelemy would put Oregon back to a comfortable lead of 11. USC would score here-and-there and the Ducks would counter it by keeping a strong scoring distance until the final minute of the game. 

“Other teams are going to go on a run,” Shelstad said. “It’s our responsibility to stay poise.”

After a questionable goaltending call on Evans Jr., a technical foul was called on the Matthew Knight Arena crowd, giving USC possession of the ball. A driving layup by USC’s Isaiah Collier and shooting foul free-throws would cut the deficit to five, the lowest of the night. With the Trojans in bonus fouls, Oregon was able to draw a few free-throw opportunities to add some cushion as the clock winded down. 

“The crowd was really good,” Altman said. “They kept us in the game. We need to continue to pack the house, it really helps us.”

The free-throw opportunities and 81.3% shooting from the line would secure Oregon the win after a career-high performance from Evans Jr. with 22 points, eight rebounds and five steals. The other freshman, Shelstad, paired it with a 21-point game of his own. 

“I think our confidence grows every game,” Shelstad said. “We get more comfortable dealing with that pressure and we get to play our game.”

After a strong preseason and a 1-0 start to Pac-12 play, the Ducks will finish out the homestand with the Los Angeles schools against UCLA, Saturday at 1 pm.