It was a game the Ducks absolutely needed to remain alive for
the NCAA Tournament.
Or so they said. Either way, it was a game against the
Pacific-10 Conference’s 10th-place team.
Absolutely winnable, right?
Oregon State made a game out of it, holding the lead until the
eight-minute mark of the second Civil War of the season. The Ducks,
buoyed by nine points in the final three minutes, defeated the
Beavers, 81-74, in front of a sold-out McArthur Court on
Saturday.
“If we lost this game, we probably wouldn’t get into the NCAA
Tournament,” Oregon guard Andre Joseph said. “Everybody had to be
focused. This is a big win for us at home.”
A win is a win, and this is a win that could mean the season for
Oregon. With Arizona losing to Stanford in the final seconds
earlier in the day, it meant California was all alone in second
place in the Pacific-10 Conference.
With the win, the Ducks slipped into third, slightly ahead of
Arizona. With a loss, they’d be in fourth, behind the Wildcats.

“Just watching Pac-10 basketball this week and seeing Stanford beat
Arizona, I knew it was a good chance for our team to make a run and
get a lead on some of the teams in the Pac-10,” Oregon forward Luke
Jackson said. “This was a huge game.There was a timeout where the
guys just came together and said, ‘This is our season right
here.’”
That run was helped along by a three-pointer by Joseph with 1:38
left to play in the game. With time winding down quickly on the
shot clock, he buried the three, sending Oregon (11-6 overall,
6-4 Pac-10) to a 5-point lead.
“The shot clock was running down and I figured I had no time so I
just let it go,” Joseph said. “It was a just a good shot.”
“He hit that three from deep and I just wanted to go hug him,”
Jackson said.
Both teams played the give-and-take game throughout the afternoon.
When it was Oregon’s turn, the Ducks were in control, taking a
10-point lead with nine minutes to play in the first
half.
Then the Beavers (8-12, 2-8) went on a run, staking out a
one-point lead with 2:37 remaining in the first half.
It pretty much went that way for the Beavers through the early
part of the second half. Oregon State was up, 59-51, eight minutes
into the second half. The Beavers had scored the first
six points of the second half and kept the Ducks from making a
field goal until almost six minutes elapsed in the half.
Oregon State looked to be in control. Oregon’s shots were not
falling and the Ducks were not making stops on the defensive
end.
“We gave them easy baskets right off the bat,” Jackson said. “We
were missing shots we’re capable of knocking down. We gave them a
lot of confidence.”
The Ducks started making those stops and pulled into a lead with
7:43 remaining. Jackson then took over the game, posting eight of
his game-leading 24 points in the final six minutes.
“It was a great gut-check win for this program,” Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent said. “There did come a point in time that the team dug
in its heels and decided it was going to win this
basketball game.”
Ian Crosswhite had 16 points for the Ducks and a was tied for the
team high with seven rebounds. Joseph finished with 14 points on
the strength of three three-pointers.
Jordan Kent scored a season-high nine points in 23 minutes, the
most action he’s seen in a game this season.
“Jordan played a great game,” Jackson said. “He may not be the best
shooter, but he hustles. He’s going to get in there and mix things
up.”
David Lucas lead the Beavers with 20 points and J.S. Nash had 14.
Angelo Tsagarakis nailed three three-pointers in a one-minute
stretch late in the first half, but was quieted from there on out.
He ended the game with 11 points.
“We lost to a very good team that had to play as hard as they
possibly could to beat us,” Oregon State head coach Jay John said.
“They overcame a poor shooting night and took the fight to
us.”
After Oregon State’s nine-point win over the Ducks on Jan. 10, the
Beavers have lost six of their last seven. Conversely, Oregon has
won five of its last seven.
“It’s not enough for me to be close,” John said. “I got hired at
Oregon State to win games, but it’s a process. If we’re charging
ahead and leaving it all on the floor, that’s all I can ask for.
It’s getting better. I’m proud of these guys for competing and not
getting rattled.”
Remember for the Ducks, a win is a win.