Senior forward Quincy Pondexter scored 20 of his game-high 34 points in the first half to help the Washington Huskies (20-9, 10-7 Pacific-10 Conference) defeat the Oregon Ducks 86-72 on Thursday night at McArthur Court.
The 6-foot-6 inch, 215-pound Pondexter put on a one-man dunk contest against the noticeably weak Oregon defense, connecting on 8-of-9 shots from the field in the opening half. The Huskies, however, trailed 40-39 going into halftime.
“Their athleticism really turned the game into an up tempo game in stretches in the second half,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
That athleticism helped Washington jump out to a 6-0 lead in the opening 1:13 of the game, but a three-pointer by Oregon senior Tajuan Porter and a rebound put-back by sophomore Jeremy Jacob brought the Ducks within one in just over a minute.
Both teams battled back and forth over the next several minutes before Oregon tied the game at 19 and eventually took the lead on a free throw from sophomore Michael Dunigan. The Ducks (14-15, 6-11 Pac-10) did not trail for the remainder of the half, largely in part to Dunigan’s aggressive approach offensively.
“The way I see it when it comes to the game,” Dunigan said, “they came into the game more aggressive than we did. They wanted the (win) and we got lackadaisical.”
Dunigan recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. His last double-double effort came against the Huskies more than two months ago.
Washington, which was upset by Oregon in Seattle on Jan. 2, clearly came into the contest with something to prove, and it showed in the second half.
“I tried to tell the guys that it was going to be a tough game,” Porter said. “We caught them sleeping up there in Seattle, so they came down here with a chip on their shoulder.”
Porter scored a team-high 18 points in his 33 minutes of action, but also had a costly six of the Ducks 13 turnovers on the night. Porter credited the quick first punch of the Washington offense in the second half that made it so difficult for Oregon to climb back into the game.
After scoring just two points in the first half, Washington junior Justin Holiday scored eight points in less than a minute and a half, boosting the Huskies to a 52-44 lead with 16:53 remaining.
Oregon made a late 8-0 run off of five points from junior LeKendric Longmire and a three-pointer by sophomore Matt Humphrey to close the gap to 72-64, but Washington closed out the game on a 14-8 run.
Pondexter’s 34 points was the highest output by any player in an Oregon game this season, including both the Ducks and their opponents. Washington State’s Klay Thompson and Stanford’s Landry Fields were close behind with 33- and 32-point efforts, respectively.
“Pac-10 Player of the Year,” Porter said of Pondexter. “(He gets) my vote. He’s dominant. During warmups, Coach said that he was the only guy down there focused, and he showed.”
Pondexter also chipped in 10 rebounds and six assists, while sophomore Isaiah Thomas had 14 points, five assists and three steals during his game-high 36 minutes.
Jacob ended the game just two points shy off a double-double himself, scoring eight points and grabbing 10 boards.
The Ducks will play Washington State (16-13, 6-11 Pac-10) on Saturday night in the final conference game to be played at Mac Court. It will also be Senior Day for Porter and Joevan Catron, something Porter hopes to leave on a positive note.
“It’s my last game and I want to end my Mac Court career on a win,” Porter said.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Quincy Pondexter — 34 points, 10 rebounds, six assists
Michael Dunigan — 16 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks
Tajuan Porter — 18 points, four assists
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