The Oregon men’s basketball team got double-digit scoring from four different players@@stats@@ as the Ducks cruised to a 100-58@@CE@@ win over Lewis and Clark College in the final preseason exhibition game Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.
Just four days after a somewhat disappointing opening performance against Division II’s Grand Canyon University, the Ducks made several positive adjustments before Sunday’s contest that led to a much improved game all around.
“We’ve still got a long ways to go,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman@@CE@@ said. “But I thought our defense and intensity picked up in the second half, and I thought we did a much better job making plays for our teammates and moving the ball.”
Senior forward Olu Ashaolu@@CE@@ led the team with 16 points and nine rebounds@@CE@@, followed by fellow senior Jeremy Jacob (13 points, seven rebounds)@@CE@@ and junior Tony Woods (13 points, two rebounds)@@CE@@. Oregon’s interior size advantage paved the way for 54 points in the paint, where Lewis and Clark managed just 14@@CE@@.
The Ducks also held the edge in bench points (55-7)@@CE@@ and rebounds (56-31)@@CE@@, but it was Oregon’s 58.1 field goal percentage (36-of-62)@@CE@@ that made the biggest difference. Conversely, the Pioneers were limited to a 31.4 shooting percentage@@CE@@ for the game, thanks in large part to Oregon’s defensive effort in the second half.
“We had a little team huddle at halftime,” Ashaolu said. “And we kind of made a conscious effort to keep the field goal percentage down, take away easy looks, no easy buckets.”
The Ducks held the Pioneers to a 20 percent shooting clip (6-of-30) in the second half@@CE@@ and forced 11 turnovers after intermission but also committed 17 of their own for the game.@@CE@@
Offensively, a 13-5 run to start the second half extended Oregon’s lead to 64-43 with more than 15 minutes left in the game, which they translated into a 25-10 run that put the game well out of reach at the 11:42 mark.
For his part, freshman Jabari Brown contributed his first career double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes of action.
“He just played harder,” Altman said. “He was in neutral the other night … I just thought his effort was better, which is obvious from 11 boards. He just played much better. He got off to a little shaky start, but he did a much better job tonight.”
Oregon wasted no time getting the ball inside early on, with Jacob scoring three straight buckets to give the Ducks a quick lead. The smaller Lewis and Clark frontcourt had trouble containing Oregon’s big men from the beginning. Jacob combined with fellow big men Ashaolu and Woods for 26 first-half points on 11-of-14 shooting.@@can’t confirm@@
Meanwhile, Brown seemed to be more comfortable in his second time out after a shaky performance against Grand Canyon last week. The Oakland, Calif., native overcame two early turnovers to finish the first half with seven points, seven rebounds and two assists.@@can’t confirm@@
“It’s coming together slowly,” Brown said. “I feel like we made an improvement, just getting to know where everybody likes the ball on the court, getting to know each other’s tendencies. It’s starting to improve over these last two games.”
Lewis and Clark’s Ross Erickson,@@CE@@ a 6-foot-6 junior guard from Sisters, Ore.,@@CE@@ paced the Pioneers offensively with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds@@http://www.lcpioneers.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/files/ore1106.htm@@. Senior guards PJ Taylor and Marcus Wells@@CE both@@ chipped in 14 and 13 points@@CE@@ for the visitors, respectively, who start the regular season at home against Northwest Christian on Nov. 15@@CE@@.
The Ducks begin the regular season on the road Friday night against No. 7 Vanderbilt@@http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1@@.
Men’s basketball wraps up exhibition slate with big win over Lewis and Clark
Daily Emerald
November 5, 2011
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