In the midst of this Pac-12 Tournament run, Oregon has played some of its best basketball of the season at the right time, and has exemplified how defensive intensity can kickstart an offense.  

Down 24-18 at halftime, No. 6 seed Oregon (21-17) outsourced No. 3 Utah (17-14) by 18 points in the second half to win 66-54, thanks to 20-point performances from Louis King and Payton Pritchard.

The Ducks have won six games in a row, in large part due to their stifling defense, which was on display in a back-and-forth, hard fought matchup against the Utes, who shot 34 percent for the game and just 2-of-20 from 3-point range.

Pritchard set the tone of the 8-0 run after halftime. He scored back-to-back fast-break layups to tie the game twice, and showed all-around command of the game. He shot 50 percent from the field with one turnover.

The Ducks held Utah to just six points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. During that stretch, King came alive and with offensive put-backs and tough jumpers, none tougher than a heaving prayer over a double team with the shot clock winding down. A few second later, Victory Bailey Jr. nailed an and-1 jumper from the corner to make it a 41-36 game with 7:40 remaining.

Utah was able to stay in the game due to free-throw shooting, finishing 16-of-20 for the game. The Ducks did not have a free throw attempt in the first half. 

Oregon needed a spark in the first half, so Altman went small with Amin, Norris and Richardson, and got after Utah for the next five minutes. After starting 1-of-11 shooting, the reserves brought defensive energy, forcing multiple turnovers, which fed right into Oregon’s transition offense.

Utah’s best scorer Sedrick Barefield picked up two quick fouls and sat on to the bench for most of the half. But Donnie Tillman, recently named the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year, carried the offense by scoring 12 points in the first half, half of Utah’s points.

With four minutes remaining, Utah cut the lead down to four. Paul White promptly hit his first shot of the game, a deep 3-pointer to maintain a 50-43 lead. Pritchard was intentionally fouled and nailed his free throws to seal the win.

On Friday night, Oregon will try to win its third game in three nights when it takes on second-seeded Arizona State.

Follow August Howell on Twitter @howell_august