In his second game of the season, Dillon Brooks made the game-winning 3-pointer that propelled No. 13 Oregon to a 69-65 victory over Tennessee in the Maui Invitational.
OT pull up game winner from Oregon’s Dillon Brooks https://t.co/GkPkVoChEL
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) November 22, 2016
Oregon got its best performance its best player. Brooks finished the game with 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting, as well as 2-of-2 from three point range. He did all of this while still on a minutes restriction. He played 25 minutes.
Chris Boucher finished with 11 points and a team-high five blocks, but he fouled out in overtime.
The Ducks started hot against the Volunteers. They jumped to an early 9-1 lead, but they went cold and Tennessee was able to take its first lead with seven minutes left in the half. The Volunteers increased their lead to eight points with 2:40 left, but Oregon went on a 9-1 run to end the half.
Oregon dominated the second half and took an 11-point lead into the final 10 minutes. Then, the Ducks went cold, and Tennessee chipped away at the lead.
The game went to overtime tied at 56 after Oregon had a poor shooting performance in regulation. The Ducks, traditionally a quality shooting team, shot a dismal 34 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point range throughout the game.
In overtime, a crucial four-point play by Casey Benson gave Oregon a three-point lead. Tennessee tied it with 45 seconds left, but the Brooks 3-pointer put the game away.
Altman said UO is “stuck in the mud”. “It is a grind right now”. Still confident this group will be better as it goes along.
— Steve Mims (@SteveMims_RG) November 22, 2016
With the win, Oregon will play the winner of UConn-Chaminade for fifth place. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Follow Jack Butler on Twitter @Butler917