The No. 11 seeded Oregon Ducks defeated the No. 6 seeded South Carolina Gamecocks 87-73 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Oregon was led by the incredible second half of Jermaine Couisnard where he scored 26 points, giving him a career-high 40 points for the game. South Carolina could not keep up and saw its season end early in the upset loss.
The Ducks got a quick start in the game. Jackson Shelstad opened the scoring with a 3-pointer as Oregon jumped out to an early 5-0 advantage. However, the Gamecocks fought back with an 11-2 run over the next couple of minutes to gain the advantage in the game. The Ducks struggled with ball security early, turning the ball over seven times in the first seven minutes of the game.
Despite the turnovers, Oregon’s offense was humming when it was able to get shots up. The Ducks made six of their first 10 shots in the game. However, without any offensive rebounds through the first 10 minutes of the game, the score remained tied 13-13.
After going down 20-14, Couisnard made a 3-pointer and a layup to bring the Oregon deficit down to just one point. The Ducks found themselves playing from behind for most of the first half, but they never allowed South Carolina to get too far ahead.
The end of the first half saw Oregon take control of the game. The Ducks extended the run that was started by Couisnard’s baskets into a 18-2 run that gave Oregon a 32-22 lead with just under two minutes left in the first half. During that stretch, the Gamecocks went over eight minutes without making a field goal as the Ducks’ defense dominated.
N’Faly Dante missed a shot with 1:24 to play before halftime, making that his first missed field goal since early in the second half of the Pac-12 semifinals against the Arizona Wildcats. The miss broke a streak of 17 straight made shots for Dante. Despite the miss, he ended the game with 23 points on still-incredible 7-9 shooting.
South Carolina finally ended its massive field goal drought with a shot from beyond half court from Ta’Lon Cooper to bring the halftime score to a 34-29 lead for the Ducks.
Couisnard led all scorers in the first half with 14 points on an efficient 6 of 9 from the field. Oregon struggled with unforced errors in the first half. The Ducks had nine turnovers, but the Gamecocks had just two steals meaning that Oregon was proving to be its own worst enemy. For a team that led the Pac-12 in turnovers per game, the Ducks struggled to take care of the ball.
After the miracle shot to end the first half cut into Oregon’s lead, the Ducks looked determined to regain their cushion at the start of the second half. A quick 12-5 run for Oregon brought the lead back up to double-digits early in the half and gave the Ducks their biggest lead of the game at 12 points. Dante was a major factor during the run. He scored eight points in the first five minutes of the second half.
Oregon shut down any momentum that the Gamecocks had gained heading into halftime with a dominant display to start the second half. The Ducks pounded the ball into the paint early and often as they took a 55-37 lead just over six minutes into the second half. Couisnard and Dante combined for 19 of Oregon’s 21 points in those minutes.
South Carolina made its presence felt again with a 11-4 run to bring the deficit down to just 11, threatening to surprise the Ducks from behind. However, Couisnard made another 3-pointer — his fourth of the game — to stop that run and put Oregon back in control. The Ducks found themselves in a position they had gotten quite familiar with during the Pac-12 Tournament – needing to just maintain a lead as the game entered its final stages. Oregon had been able to close out all three opponents in Las Vegas, and had shown the ability to slow down games when necessary.
Every push from the Gamecocks was met with another massive shot from Couisnard, who was almost single-handedly keeping his former team at bay. Couisnard’s fifth make from behind the arc in the game gave the Ducks a 13-point lead with six minutes remaining. He made a pair of free throws shortly after to break the school record for most points in March Madness with 34 points.
A major factor in Oregon’s advantage in the second half was the shift in ball security. After having eight turnovers in the first eight minutes, the Ducks had only two more the rest of the game, including just one in the second half. Their ability to maximize their offensive possessions helped them keep South Carolina held at arm’s length.
Oregon was able to keep its scoring high through the final minutes to squander any chance of a comeback for the Gamecocks. Couisnard made a couple baskets and free throws to set a new career-high with 40 points in the game. He became the first player to score 40 points in March Madness since Purdue’s Carsen Edwards in 2019. His final free throws put the final touches on a dominant 87-73 win for the Ducks
Oregon outscored South Carolina 36-24 in points in the paint and shot an ultra-efficient 59.6% from the field in the win. The Ducks will now take on the Creighton Blue Jays in the Round of 32 on Saturday, Mar. 23.
