After shooting only once from the field in the game, Maarty Leunen was the go-to scorer for Oregon as the clock wound down in the final minutes of the Ducks’ 67-61 victory against Arizona State on Thursday night in front of 8,895 at McArthur Court.
After the Ducks missed five consecutive free throws in the final minutes, Leunen and Bryce Taylor sealed the victory by making eight consecutive free throws. Even with the missed free throws, Oregon coach Ernie Kent said his team showed poise by settling down and closing out the game. The Ducks were 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) from the line in the game.
There was added pressure in those six free throws in the final minute, not that it mattered, Leunen said.
“Be confident, or whatever,” he said of his ability to make those clutch shots. “Just knock them down.”
For Leunen, it was a game indicative of his patience and ability to defer to teammates, especially after scoring a career-high 32 points against Oregon State last Saturday. Leunen finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Instead, Malik Hairston took up the scoring charge, leading Oregon with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 3-of-5 from the three-point line.
He wasn’t the only one. Kent went deep on the bench in the game allowing six reserves to see playing time in order to keep the starters well-rested and hydrated in a “warm” arena, as Kent put it.
“I thought everybody that came into the game did something positive,” Kent said. “We knew we were going to need our bench.”
The win allows Oregon (17-12 overall, 8-9 Pacific-10 Conference) to keeps its NCAA Tournament at-large hopes alive while Arizona State (18-11, 8-9) will seek a victory against Oregon State on Saturday to keep itself on the bubble.
As for the Ducks, they will seek a victory against Arizona on Saturday to close out the regular season and hope to replicate their defensive effort against the Wildcats. Kent said it was one of the better efforts he’s seen defensively from his team.
“We made them take tough shots and tough threes down the stretch,” Kent said, despite later admitting that Arizona State forward James Harden, who scored a game-high 22 points, made a big three towards the end of the game. “Outside of that, they had some big misses under some big pressure.”
And for the Oregon offense, the Arizona State defense gave the Ducks fits with its aggressive zone, but Kent said that’s the best he’s seen his team play against the Sun Devils’ zone while Herb Sendek has been the coach of the team.
“They make it tough,” Leunen said. “They sag into the key and pressure the guards.”
Oregon sophomore Tajuan Porter said it was the only team in the Pac-10 that played a zone defense that well.
While Kent said fans might have thought the Ducks were passing too much while passing up shots, Kent applauded his team for its patience and ability to pass the ball until a better shot was found. It worked in the second half as Oregon went 10-of-19 from the field.
“It became a shot-fake clinic and putting (the ball) on the floor and finding that next pass,” Kent said. “They did a very good job of not just settling for threes.”
Kent said Oregon handled itself well despite playing in a pressure-packed environment, which has caused the team to blow leads in other games and ultimately lose. Last night’s game, Kent said, is indicative of how they hope to play in their remaining games.
“We have to play on that level,” Hairston said. “Because our opponents will and they understand what’s on the line.”

Final home game for seniors

For seniors Leunen, Hairston, Taylor, Mitch Platt and Ray Schafer, Saturday’s game will mark the last time they will play a game in Mac Court, unless the Ducks are awarded a home game in the NIT.
They all know their emotions will be running high and they’ll be doing their best to keep it in check.
“I’ve got to get some tough-guy pills,” Kent said. “It’s going to be sad for that many of them going at one time.
“It’s going to be one of those moments that you don’t forget.”
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