Johnathan Loyd@@roster: http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=235&SPSID=4295@@ knew it would be a good night as soon as he started shooting in pregame warmups. He told sophomore guard Nicholas Lucenti@@roster@@ he was feeling good and then went out and proved it.
Loyd scored a career-high 24-points@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205340187@@ on Tuesday night as Oregon overcame an otherwise lackluster effort to defeat UTEP 64-59.@@see previous@@ While the sophomore guard from Las Vegas@@CE@@ shined, the rest of the team fell short of head coach Dana Altman’s@@CE@@ expectations.
“Not nearly as good an effort as we had at Nebraska. The bounce wasn’t the same,” Altman said. “We were fortunate to win the game. They were quicker to all of the loose balls. They were a step quicker than all of us in plays.”
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, trading baskets and turnovers en route to a 23-23 tie at the intermission. The Ducks, in particular, were sloppy with the ball, turning it over 10 times in the first half alone and shooting just 33.3 percent from the field. UTEP turned the ball over only seven times but also fell below 40 percent shooting (38.5).

“We seemed a step slow on everything tonight,” Altman said. “Turnovers in the first half really kept us from making any kind of move.”
The Ducks made a point during the halftime break to come out of the gates with a purpose, and that was exactly what happened as Loyd hit his third three-pointer of the game on Oregon’s first possession, and junior forward E.J. Singler@@roster@@ followed with another three-pointer in transition. In all, the Ducks used a 12-5 run over nearly six minutes to take a 35-28 lead.
“We made a statement before we went out on the court that we were going to win the first four minutes,” Singler said. “And that really helped us.”
UTEP would not go away quietly, though, and battled back to within two with 7:05 remaining. Loyd responded with a layup, and then his fifth three-pointer of the game after a UTEP jumper to put the Ducks back up by five. His sixth and final three-pointer of the game came with a hand in his face and gave Oregon a 56-50 lead. Though in other situations he might have frowned upon the shot, Altman couldn’t fault Loyd’s decision making.
“We tell our players once they get a rhythm going that the light’s a lot greener,” Altman said. “And a guy’s five for six, it’s pretty hard not to give him the open door. He had it going, and he knocked down a big shot there.”
The Miners would make one final stab at a comeback, climbing to within one with 1:38 remaining, but the Ducks hit all six of their free throw attempts down the stretch to close out the 64-59 victory.
For the game, Loyd shot 8-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from three-point range, adding two assists and a rebound to his game-high 24 points.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205335431@@ Senior Olu Ashaolu@@roster@@ chimed in with 13 points and five rebounds — along with three thunderous dunks — while Singler scored nine.@@see previous@@ As a team, Oregon shot 52 percent in the second half and 43.5 percent for the game, adding eight blocks and six steals on defense.@@see previous@@
It will go down as a victory, Oregon’s fourth of the season, but no one was particularly pleased with the performance.
“We didn’t bring an effort to match theirs,” Singler said. “They really played harder. They just wanted it more than us tonight, but luckily we came out with the win.”
Even Loyd, for all his heroics, was critical of his performance after the game.
“I didn’t handle the ball very well,” Loyd said. “I had five turnovers.@@CE@@ That’s something that will never happen again.”
Altman’s overall assessment was simple. There is a long road ahead, even if his team is 4-1.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=235&SPSID=4294@@
“We still have a tremendous amount of work to do,” he said.