Thursday night could have been Senior Night at McArthur Court, with the way Oregon seniors Freddie Jones and Chris Christoffersen lit up the nets and boards.
Jones and Christoffersen combined for 40 points and 20 rebounds in the Ducks’ 91-62 blowout win over UCLA at Mac Court. Jones dominated on the floor and Christoffersen dominated on the glass, giving the Ducks a one-two punch that the Bruins never answered.
Jones’s high-flying antics have become commonplace during Oregon home games, but he can still amaze those who have played with him all these years.
“I’m still amazed by him,” Christoffersen said. “Even though I’ve played with him for four years, I’m amazed how he can get off the floor.”
Jones had 26 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor, and a pair of dunks that nearly caused Mac Court to crumble from the noise they created. The first came late in the first half, as Jones finished a scrambling play by driving on unsuspecting UCLA guard Andre Patterson and slamming home a one-handed tomahawk.
“When (Jones) scores like that, we’re really tough to beat,” Oregon point guard Luke Ridnour said.
Jones’s second big dunk came late in the second half, when Ridnour picked the pocket of a UCLA’s Cedric Bozeman, went on a fast break with Jones and fed the senior an alley-oop pass, which Jones obligingly slammed home.
“He’s explosive in transition,” Oregon’s Luke Jackson said. “I don’t think there’s anybody better in the country.”
Christoffersen’s effort came mostly on the glass, where he dominated UCLA big man Dan Gadzuric and other Bruins, and ended with a career-high 15 boards. He added 14 points for his second career double-double.
“When Chris is controlling the boards like that, it just adds another dimension to our offense,” Jackson said. “He just rises to the challenge.”
Christoffersen continued to shoot well Thursday night, as he went 7-for-9 from the floor. The “Great Dane” ranks first among the Ducks and ninth in the Pacific-10 Conference in field goal percentage, hitting 53 percent of his shots. Jones is right behind him, and is ranked 10th in the Pac-10 at 52 percent.
Jones and Christoffersen picked a good night to explode together. NBA “Superscout” Marty Blake was in attendance, and countless people around the country were watching on national Fox Sports Net television. Blake is the Director of Scouting for the NBA, and is a longtime pro scout. For the two Oregon seniors, the step to the next level could have started Thursday night in Eugene.
Until that next level, there is still a lot of basketball to be played, including the real senior night, against Washington on Feb. 23. But if neither plays well on that night, they can reach back to a late January battle when both played like professionals.
Oregon will face Southern California in a battle for the conference’s top spot on Saturday.
E-mail sports reporter Peter Hockaday
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