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 lose this game, we probably don’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 earlier in the day, it meant California was all alone in second place in the Pacific-10 Conference.
With a win, the Ducks would slip into third, slightly ahead of Arizona. With a loss, they’d be in pushed down the standings, behind the Wildcats, UCLA and Washington.
“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 quickly winding down on the shot clock, Joseph buried the three, sending Oregon (11-6 overall, 6-4 Pac-10) to a five-point lead.
“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 took 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 scored the first six points of the half and kept the Ducks from making a field goal until almost six minutes had elapsed.
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 grabbed the 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 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.”