LAS VEGAS, Nev. –It wasn’t pretty, but No. 2 seeded Oregon men’s basketball survived No. 10 seeded Colorado, 93-85 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday night.
The Buffaloes bookended runs to start and finish the game, but the opportunistic Ducks turned 13 Colorado turnovers into 27 points to survive and advance.
Joseph Young overcame an early slump and led the way with 30 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Elgin Cook pitched in 20 points on 8-10 shooting, while Jalil Abdul-Bassit and Benjamin chipped in 15 and 12 points, respectively.
The quarterfinal matchup could not have started any worse for the Ducks. Colorado leaped out to a 12-4 lead.
In an effort to jump-start his team’s energy, Oregon head coach Dana Altman opted to use a three-quarter court press which led to a quick 6-0 Oregon run.
“It just got us moving,” Altman said. “We were dead to start the game. I must have put them to sleep before the ballgame with my inspirational speech, because our activity just wasn’t very good.”
Things looked bleak for the Ducks when the Buffs hit a three pointer to take an 11 point lead with 13 minutes left in the first half. At that point, Oregon was 0-8 from three-point range and couldn’t find any rhythm on offense against an uncharacteristically stingy Colorado defense.
But in the blink of an eye, the Ducks found their legs. A pair of Elgin Cook jumpers started a long 16-4 run capped off by back-to-back-to-back three pointers. When the dust settled, Oregon had earned its first lead of the game at 34-33.
“I really felt our energy level pick up,” Altman said. “We had a different energy about us in the second half.”
Oregon started the second period in style, hitting its shots and making plays on defense.
After trading baskets to start the half, the Ducks caught fire. Solid press defense forced Colorado into bad possessions, leading to easy buckets on the other end for Oregon. The Ducks exploded on a 16-1 run, pushing their lead up to 18 points.
With precious seconds ticking off of Colorado’s season, the Buffs made one last push.
Colorado strung together four three pointers on a 18-6 run and cut Oregon’s lead to just four points at the two minute mark.
But just as the Buffs looked like they were going to complete the comeback, Oregon shut the door. The Pac-12 player of the year, Young, hit back-to-back clutch jump shots. Dillon Brooks and Dwayne Benjamin hit six straight free throws to preserve Oregon’s lead and deliver the win.
With the victory, Oregon advances to the Pac-12 Tournament’s semifinal where the Ducks will face the winner of the Utah-Stanford game Friday night.
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter
