Oregon was denied a chance to tie its best start in school history as the Ducks (13-1 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) lost to USC (12-4, 2-1) 84-82 in the final seconds, a familiar finish for a team that lost several heart-breaking games last year.
Senior point guard Aaron Brooks finished the game with 31 points on 11-for-18 shooting but failed to tie the game in the final seconds after he was fouled while attempting a three-pointer.
“They were just routine free throws and I needed to hit all three to tie it up,” Brooks said. “The second one felt good but it just hit the back of the rim.”
Brooks intentionally missed the final attempt and the loose ball was picked up by Oregon’s Chamberlain Oguchi but time expired before he was able to get a shot off.
Despite the loss, coach Ernie Kent was impressed with the team’s offensive performance, although he believes the team still needs has to improve defensively to avoid losses like this one.
“With only four turnovers and five guys in double figures, you’re going to win a lot of games,” Kent said. “We’ve got to get back to playing tougher defense because everyone at this level in the Pac-10 is a good team. We need to deny their star players the ball and make someone else beat us.”
The Ducks had five players reach double figures. Maarty Luenen had 12 points and 12 rebounds while Bryce Taylor, Adam Zahn and Oguchi each scored 10.
The loss prevents the Ducks from having its matchup with No. 1 UCLA as two of the final three undefeated teams in Division I. Despite the anticipation of facing the No.1 team, Oregon players said it didn’t detract from their focus on the USC game.
“We don’t look ahead to nobody,” Brooks said. “It’s our first Pac-10 (home) game. We wanted to send a message. We just didn’t get it done at the end.”