Portland State went cold from the field for more than 10 minutes of the first half Tuesday at McArthur Court.
The Vikings went cold, so much that the Ducks followed suit. Together, the teams held a game at the venerable old gym that represented more of a pickup game than a Division-I college basketball affair.
Oregon came away with the victory, 62-55, although it wasn’t necessarily earned on the merits of talent. The Ducks earned it the hard way — the Vikings lost their offense somewhere on the way down from Portland. Oregon capitalized just enough to pull out its second win of the season.
“This team needs to play games right now and get into a rhythm,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “Offensively, I really felt we were off our rhythm. We turned the ball over too much.”
The 10-day layoff Oregon experienced after its first win — a 13-point victory over Fresno State — may have contributed to the Ducks’ rust. The Ducks said that wasn’t an issue, but shot 42 percent from the field and committed 20 turnovers, proving that Oregon’s offense wasn’t fully in sync.
“I expect everyone to step up and play smart basketball and within the system,” Kent said, alluding to the team’s mental and physical mistakes.
It was a game that saw very few lead changes — just four, all of which came in the first half — and very few runs from either team.
The only significant stretch of play for either team — statistics-wise — came from the 10:51 mark of the first half to the 1:18 mark. Portland State failed to score a point during the stretch, allowing Oregon to extend its lead.
However, the Ducks weren’t able to stretch it out much, scoring 10 points in the more than 10 minutes that they held the Vikings scoreless.
“We were forcing it too much,” Oregon forward Jay Anderson said.
Forward Luke Jackson led the Ducks with 22 points on the strength of 5 of 11 shooting. He also excelled at the free-throw line, making 10 of his 13 attempts.
“This is really going to be a good game for us,” Jackson said. “You really can’t teach experience. The best thing we can do is learn as much as we can from this game.”
That experience will help Oregon’s freshmen starters — Aaron Brooks and Mitch Platt — who together combined for four points on 1 of 8 shooting in a combined 50 minutes of play.
Brooks had a rough game, turning the ball over six times while dishing out just one assist.
“I think Aaron is still out of sync after having the injury,” Kent said of Brooks’ sore left knee that he tweaked before the Fresno State game. “For a freshman point guard in this system, he needs to play.”
The game marked the fifth time in the last six contests between the two teams where the winner won by 11-points or less. The Vikings, who lost to Oregon, 69-63, last season in Portland, were led by center Seth Scott, who posted 15 points in 29 minutes of play.
Portland State committed 16 turnovers — nine in the first half — and shot just under 40 percent from the field.
Portland State was markedly better, offensively, than in its last game, a 70-57 loss to UTEP on Nov. 29 in El Paso, Texas.
In that game, the Vikings committed 23 turnovers and allowed the Miners to shoot 48 percent from the field.
“We’ve obviously addressed a lot of things,” Portland State head coach Heath Schroyer said. “We’ve watched a lot of tape to not turn the ball over. That’s been our achilles heel.”
Schroyer said the Vikings were focused on limiting turnovers, taking away Oregon’s transition game and forcing the Ducks to stay away from the three-pointer.
Portland State was successful in all three aspects, limiting the Ducks to just 14 assists and four three-pointers.
It just wasn’t enough to come out on top over their intra-state rivals.
“I think they’re better this year than last year,” Schroyer said. “I think the world of coach Kent and his staff. I think they do a great job.”
Oregon was without the services of shooting guard James Davis, who was suspended for the game due to what Kent said was for “failing to meet the academic responsibilities that are expected of each player within the University of Oregon basketball program.”
Davis, a Vancouver, Wash., native, scored nine points on the strength of three three-pointers in Oregon’s season-opening win over Fresno State.
The Ducks return to action Saturday when they play in the annual Papé Jam at the Rose Garden in Portland. They host Mid-American Conference member Marshall at 6 p.m.