In Oregon’s 82-61 win over the USC Trojans, it was the turnover battle and the physicality that gave the Ducks the momentum boost in the first half before Oregon took over all aspects of the game in the second half.
The Trojans started the game on a 15-4 run, but the Ducks answered with a 13-2 run of their own to even things up at 17 early.
“I just didn’t like our activity at all defensively,” said Head Coach Dana Altman, “and then we took three quick shots down field, went 0 for 3 and didn’t make them guard. I think four of our first five baskets were, you know, at the basket in the paint. We have the tendency to fire that ball up real quick instead of inch it out, get into the game a little bit.”
The first half was a dog fight with players on both sides hitting the deck and battling for the fifty-fifty balls. That will be a very important aspect of Oregon’s game as the regular season nears the end and the tournament approaches.
“There’s a sense of urgency here,” Altman said, “we’re starting our sixth month here and you hope the guys have enough to finish. You can get worn out in a five month season. You can lose your focus, you can lose your intensity.”
The Ducks’ roster has a lot more depth than it did at this point last season, which should increase the team’s chance of continuing to succeed at this point in the season.
Oregon’s 39-34 halftime lead was in part thanks to its nine steals and ten points off turnovers, eight of which came on fast break possessions. In the second half, Oregon won the rebound battle 24-20, and the defense stepped up a lot more, holding USC to 7 for 30 shooting and 0 for 10 from beyond the arc.
“I think defensively, we held them to a very low shooting percentage,” said point guard Jackson Shelstad, “and offensively, we were just moving the ball more, getting better looks, and forcing them to take only tough shots.”
Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr combined for seven blocks and the team combined for 13 total steals and 19 points off USC’s 16 turnovers. TJ Bamba led the team defensively with three steals, but nine different Ducks players had at least one steal in the game, which was the main aspect of shutting down the Trojans’ offense.
The Ducks outscored the Trojans 43-27 to make it a comfortable win, which is not something Oregon has had a lot of this season.
“It’s good, I mean, we haven’t done a good job of [closing out games]” Altman said, “so for us to continue to get some stops and not exchange baskets with them, I thought TJ [Bamba] and Kee [Barthelemy] did a really good job. They’re not a team you want to exchange baskets with.”
The Ducks play their final game of the regular season this Tuesday against the Indiana Hoosiers, and after that, they will be headed to the Big Ten Tournament. As they prepare for the bigger stage, it will be critical for this team to stand strong defensively and fight for the fifty-fifty balls down the stretch.
