The Oregon men’s basketball team turned to its bench Tuesday night to help catapult the team to a 75-52 win over visiting Texas Southern.
Reserve forward Tyrone Nared, who entered the contest averaging only 4.5 points per game, led the Ducks in scoring with 13 points and added six rebounds, as Oregon (4-1) cruised to its most powerful victory of the season.
As a group, the Ducks’ bench outscored the Tigers’ 43-11, and helped provide a dose of energy.
“I thought our focus was much better tonight,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “We shot the ball a little bit and really got a nice performance from a lot of guys off the bench. I thought we played well.”
Oregon’s impressive all-around statistics supported that statement. The Ducks shot 52.7% from the field and out-rebounded the Tigers 34-25 in the winning effort.
But the Tigers’ were the team that started out the game with the upper hand. After the Ducks jumped out to a 4-0 advantage, Texas Southern (1-4) went on a 10-2 run to gain an early lead. The teams traded baskets for most of the remainder of the first half until late in the first when Oregon’s offense started to heat up.
The Ducks went on a 12-2 run to close the first half to take a 33-25 halftime advantage. That scoring spurt was capped off by a remarkable, half-court buzzer beater by guard Garrett Sim that sent the 6,318 fans at McArthur Court into a frenzy.
“There was about four seconds left, so I just pushed it out and got a nice little toss on it, and I think it gave us a little momentum going into the half,” Sim said.
That momentum carried over into the second half when Oregon continued its scoring run. By the time there was 7:30 left in regulation, the Ducks had increased their lead to 62-32 on the strength of a 41-9 run that spanned nearly 19 minutes of game action.
Altman attributed that stretch of strong play to Oregon increasing its defensive intensity.
“We took away their easy baskets,” Altman said. “It always hurts a team when they’re not scoring; their energy level goes down. We were hitting some shots; our energy level went up; and we were the more energetic team there for a long stretch, and that really changed thecomplexion of the game.”
Texas Southern did finish the game on a 20-13 run, but by that time, the game’s outcome was no longer in doubt.
While Nared led the Ducks in scoring 13 points, Oregon produced a balanced offensive output. E.J. Singler was the only other player in double figures with 10 points, and nine players scored at least five points.
Tiger forward Kevin Galloway led Texas Southern with 18 points and guard Lawrence Johnson-Danner added 14.
It was a generally tough night offensively for the Tigers, though. The Ducks held Texas Southern to 39.5 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers with an aggressive full-court press that was particularly effective in the latter stages of the game.
“I think we just executed our press a little better,” Sim said. “I think that press really gave us an opportunity to get some steals and get momentum starting the second half.”
The Ducks will have a few days to savor the victory. They return to action this Saturday to play No. 1 Duke at the Rose Garden in Portland. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
“They’re a very good basketball team,” Altman said of the Blue Devils. “They’re big, and defensively they’ve always been really good. It’s a big challenge, a big opportunity for us, and again we just want to prepare ourselves and go up and compete and see how we can improve.”
[email protected]