After trailing for most of the first half, the Oregon Ducks (6-2) pulled away from the Portland State Vikings (5-4) for much of the second half on the strength of junior forward E.J. Singler’s 19 points and seven rebounds, winning 79-70 Monday night at Matthew Knight Arena after the Vikings got within three with less than two minutes to go.
The Vikings’ zone defense stifled Oregon in the first half, as the Ducks’ offense stagnated before a Singler layin off a lob from sophomore point guard Johnathan Loyd seemed to ignite their offense, starting a 16-7 run to end the first half. For the game, the Ducks shot 27 of 59 (45.8 percent) from the field and 18 for 23 from the free-throw line.
“At that point, Coach (Dana Altman) was really on us on pushing the ball up the floor, so we looked to do that a little bit more,” senior guard Garrett Sim said. “And in the second half, I feel like we got a lot more into our sets and got in rhythm with our offense.”
Portland State did make the game close at the end, narrowing what had been up to a 14-point deficit with fewer than seven minutes left to three points with 1:31 left.
“With the exception of Southeast Missouri (State), we haven’t done a good job of finishing games,” Altman said. “You’re up 14, you’re at home, you have momentum, you’re two stops away from putting them away. Then they score eight in a row and get it to a six-point game before we answer.”
The Vikings were unable to get any closer, as Oregon senior guard Devoe Joseph made a runner in the lane with 55 seconds left and then Portland State forward Chehales Tapscott stepped in bounds before passing the ball in, committing Portland State’s 11th turnover of the game. Joseph added two free throws to stretch the lead to seven, ending the threat from the Vikings.
“It was big; he has a lot of experience even though he’s played just two games at Oregon,” Sim said of Joseph. “He did a good job finishing that game out with free throws and that big basket.”
Apart from Singler, Oregon’s other major contributors were Sim, who scored 13 points including 3 of 6 three-point shooting, and Tony Woods, who scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked five shots. In Joseph’s second game for the Ducks, he finished with 13 points and six assists, and hit six free throws in the final minute.
The Vikings were led offensively by Tapscott, who had 16 points, all but two of which came in the second half, and guard Lateef McMullan, who scored 14 points.
Oregon’s balanced offense had six players score seven or more points, and the Ducks had 18 assists with only seven turnovers. Meanwhile, Portland State had eight assists and 12 turnovers, and only guard Charles Odum had more than one assist.
“I think the most important part is, no one’s selfish out there,” Sim said. “We’re all looking to pass the ball.”
Ducks forward Tyrone Nared injured his left knee in the victory after getting rolled up by Sim and a Portland State guard. Altman said he expects the Woonsocket, R.I., native to miss at least the next four games and that Nared will undergo an MRI tomorrow.
Oregon next plays Dec. 18 when it hosts Virginia at Matthew Knight Arena at 2:30 p.m.