With the game tied at 52 and 3:51 remaining on the clock, the Oregon basketball team was struggling to find an offensive rhythm. As the Ducks sat in the huddle during a media timeout, head coach Dana Altman drew up a play to run out of the timeout.
Rather than put the ball in star guard Joseph Young’s hands, Altman used Young to set a screen for Dwayne Benjamin. Benjamin caught the pass from Casey Benson and without hesitation, launched a three-pointer that found nothing but net.
Oregon took the lead and never let it go. The Ducks hit six straight free throws over the final 27 seconds to preserve a 65-62 win over rival Oregon State in Corvallis.
“That’s three games in a row where we’ve had a pretty good environment and found a way to win,” Altman said. “Dwayne hit a big shot — those are not easy plays to make in this environment so I’m really happy for the guys, really pleased.”
Oregon improved to 23-8 on the year and 13-5 in the Pac-12 with the win.
Both teams traded punches like heavyweight fighters for the majority of the game but it was Oregon’s execution and free throw shooting that eventually prevailed.
As a team, the Ducks went 19-for-24 from the free throw line, while limiting Oregon State to just 8-for-11 from the charity stripe.
“We just got good shooters,” Altman said of his team’s free throw shooting down the stretch. “Joe’s been a good free throw shooter all his life, Jalil’s (Abdul-Bassit) a good shooter and Elgin’s (Cook) worked at it really hard.”
After a pair of free throws by Dillon Brooks gave Oregon a 63-58 lead with 14 seconds left, Oregon State’s Olaf Schaftenaar hit a corner three with eight seconds left that had Gill Coliseum rocking. Abdul-Bassit was fouled on the ensuing possession and calmly knocked down both free throws to seal the win.
Whenever Oregon needed a big shot, it came from Benjamin, Abdul-Bassit or Cook.
“Our guys feel comfortable coming down the stretch so I’m happy for them,” Altman said. “We find ways to win games — a lot of that is guard play and a lot of that is hitting those free throws.”
Abdul-Bassit hit a three-pointer at the 6:07 mark to give the Ducks a four-point lead. Cook converted a layup at the 1:45 mark while being fouled to give the Ducks a three-point lead and end another Beavers rally.
Oregon State came out of halftime hitting back-to-back three-pointers to take  a 38-32 lead — their largest of the second half.
The Ducks responded with a 9-3 run over the next four minutes to tie the game at 42 and the fight was on from there. Neither team led by more than five points the rest of the game and the score was tied four more times over that stretch.
An example of the constant resilience the Ducks showed: The Beavers took a 28-19 lead in the first half with 5:05 to play. But, Young quickly responded.
Young went on a 10-2 run of his own and cut the deficit to one.
Cook led Oregon with 17 points while Young added 15. Benjamin and Abdul-Bassit each chipped in 12 points. Benjamin also grabbed seven rebounds.
Oregon now has an eight-day break before resuming play in the second round of the Pac-12 tournament next Friday in Las Vegas, Nev.
“Prepare, really prepare for whoever we play,” Young said. “I know we got a bye and we aren’t going to take that for granted. We are going to keep practicing hard.”
EXTRA:
– Oregon State’s Gary Payton II was assessed a technical one foul after getting into a confrontation with Brooks during the first half of the game. Before the confrontation could escalate into more, both players were pulled apart.
– Oregon State announced that 2,106 students attended the Civil War
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka