It appeared Oregon’s postseason hopes
had come to an end with 1.5 seconds
remaining during Thursday’s game against Southern California.
With the game tied at 77, Trojan guard Gabriel Pruitt drove to the basket and floated a running jump shot over Duck forward
Maarty Leunen. Pruitt’s shot fell through the net as he collided with Leunen.
The sparse USC crowd of 2,779 mustered a weak cheer, but was suddenly muffled by an official’s whistle.
After a season of bad luck, missed
opportunities and growing pains, Leunen saved the Ducks postseason hopes by
drawing a charge. The veteran move by the Oregon freshman allowed the game to go to overtime, where the Ducks won 94-87 at Los Angeles Sports Arena.
Oregon (14-12 overall, 6-11 Pacific-10
Conference) is now in sole possession of eighth place in the conference as California (12-15, 5-12) lost to Washington 106-73 on Thursday. Washington State (7-10) defeated Stanford 59-48, however, meaning the
Ducks aren’t guaranteed a berth in the
Pac-10 Tournament just yet.
Oregon can assure itself a spot in the
tournament by defeating UCLA on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. If the Ducks lose to the
Bruins, however, they can still qualify if
the Cougars knock off the Golden Bears on Saturday at Haas Pavilion.
While having a shot at the Pac-10
Tournament — and ultimately the NCAA Tournament — will add excitement to the end of a season of disappointment for Oregon, the most encouraging aspect of Thursday’s win was that the Ducks didn’t quit.
Aaron Brooks, who has come under
scrutiny for his recent turnover troubles, played his heart out for the full 45 minutes of Thursday’s overtime battle, scoring 14 points and committing only two turnovers.
Bryce Taylor scored 23 points in 39 minutes in front of his hometown crowd.
Malik Hairston scored 19 points on
8 of 15 shooting.
The team improved to 71 percent from the foul line, knocking down 25 of 35 attempts, including 7 of its last 8 in overtime.
And most importantly, Oregon found a way to win a game it absolutely needed.
For the youthful Ducks, this win could spark a new level of confidence.
If so, Oregon will be a very dangerous team during its return trip to Los Angeles.

[email protected]