The Ducks (16-7, 8-4) defeated out-of-state rival Washington (12-11, 4-8), 85-80, after taking a commanding first-half lead and narrowly escaping a Husky comeback in the second half. Senior guard Jermaine Couisnard set the tone early for the Ducks and finished the game with crucial free-throws. His court presence was pivotal in sealing the win, but Oregon will require a consistent full-team performance throughout its upcoming contests to finish the season strong.
Despite winning the tip-off, the Ducks could not convert on the first two offensive drives. It was not until Couisnard helped put Oregon on the board that the scoreline shifted in the Ducks’ favor. From the start, the East Chicago native connected efficiently with his teammates.
He found Kario Oquendo in the paint and tossed him a perfect pass to complete a dunk. Minutes later, Oquendo reciprocated the assist to Couisnard’s 3-point field goal, then back to Oquendo, who completed a layup lob from Couisnard. The back-and-forth feeds between the two seniors was kinetic. In between these plays, Couisnard had an impressive steal and made two free-throws.
Couisnard is the only player to have started all 22 games for the Ducks this season. He is just one of five men on the Oregon roster who has had minutes in every game — his sustained health has served the Ducks starting lineup well. Couisnard momentarily left last Saturday’s game against the University of California Los Angeles after turning his ankle, but he showed no sign of pain or injury against the Huskies.
Clearly a core component of the squad and its leading scorer, Couisnard said he doesn’t feel he gets the national credit or praise he deserves for his contributions. However, the senior said, “It’s a team game; without them, I would not be doing these things. They put trust in me every day, and see the work I put in, so they trust me to do the things I’ve been doing, and I’m cool with that.”
He followed his early success with smooth ball movement between him and Jackson Shelstad. Shelstad, the well-rounded freshman, had three assists in the first half, two of which found Couisnard.
“Jackson’s an aggressive and intelligent player. I just tell him that he’s got to slow down on a couple of things, and he tells me the same thing,” Couisnard said. “I just want to put a lot of confidence in him and let him know we’re here for him.”
Sheltstad’s speed off the impound pass signaled an aggressive approach, allowing Oregon to have offensive attacks toward the Husky-defended hoop.
While Couisnard commanded the action on offense, N’Faly Dante dominated defensively. The 6’11 senior had nine total rebounds, six of which came on defense. Couisnard was successful on offense because Dante covered the court and blocked balls in the back half.
The only person Dante could not stop was Washington’s 7’1 center, Braxton Meah, who was consistently getting supplied perfect lobs directly above the basket.
Neither Dante nor Nate Bittle played in the Ducks’ first meeting with Washington on Jan. 6. due to injury. Bittle was expected to be back in the lineup tonight after being out for the California road games due to illness, but he did not make it off the bench. Dante’s height was valuable for Oregon on Thursday; Bittle’s height would have been equally beneficial.
The chemistry between Couisnard, Sheltstad and Dante on both sides of the court carried the Ducks into halftime with a six-point lead ahead of the Huskies, 40-34. Couisnard led the Ducks with 14 points and four assists.
In the second half, Couisnard again started strong. In his first scoring opportunity, he hit a 3-point jumper from the right side of the arch. Despite cultivating Oregon’s momentum early, Couisnard alone couldn’t keep the Huskies on their heels. He needed the team to carry the energy through the entirety of the second as a collective — the task proved challenging.
Communication began to collapse among the Oregon squad, and turnovers kept tallying up. The Ducks had seven turnovers in the second part of the game. Washington started applying pressure on the Ducks with a dominant defense, frequently double-teaming Dante.
Oregon couldn’t break the press and made fundamental mistakes. Shelstad struggled to shoot well from the field, and the Ducks’ defense was dismantled. The Huskies went on a 12-straight point stretch to cut the deficit to one.
A combination of Couisnard, Dante and Shelstad’s last-minute free-throws saved the Ducks from a potential home defeat.
Couisnard finished the game with nine for 12 at the line and 27 points for a total of 35 minutes. Shelstad played for 36 minutes and Dante for 34.
Couisnard will look to get his 23rd start and keep the Ducks on track this Saturday when the team takes on Washington State at 2 p.m. in Matthew Knight Arena.
