According to color commentator and NBA great Bill Walton, February 1st is ‘Optimist Day’, and once again, Oregon’s confidence is Trojan misery.
With the Ducks’ (15-6, 7-3 Pac-12) 78-69victory over the Trojans (8-13, 2-8 Pac-12) in Los Angeles, Oregon head coach Dana Altman’s team is once again tied for first place in the Pac-12, while USC falls further away from the pack, stranded at the base of the conference and on its longest losing streak in nine years — a shocking six games.
It was all offense in the first half, as the Ducks and Trojans dueled to a 46-39 halftime score. The first two possessions were an apt summary — a returning Boogie Ellis (17 points in 26 minutes) made a 3-pointer just for Jackson Shelstad to respond nearly immediately. Shelstad led Oregon through the first half, with 10 points in the first three minutes and 15 in the first period.
Scoring droughts, which plagued the Ducks through their series against the Arizona schools, continued to affect their play in SoCal. Oregon went over three minutes midway through the first half without a point, allowing USC to bring the score level, but went on an over three-minute 9-2 run of its own to end the first half.
Several 3-pointers were the key for an Oregon team that has struggled to hold leads in conference play: through the first 14 minutes of the game, the Ducks shot 6/11 from beyond the arc (Shelstad had all six makes).
Concerns over defense, with senior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy, a probable season scratch according to Altman, were addressed. Shelstad, whose defense has been a question mark through conference play, was forced to step up. He finished with two steals through 35 minutes, as Oregon outrebounded the Trojans 21-14 in the first half.
The second half started in much the same manner: Kario Oquendo pushed Oregon’s lead to 10 before Ellis made a three to try and spark a Trojan rally. This time, to USC’s dismay another 3-pointer (this time from Jadrian Tracey) and a slam dunk from Oquendo extended the Ducks’ advantage to 12 — at that point their largest lead of the game.
Oquendo, who made his first start for Oregon on Thursday night, would end the game with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Shelstad, though, had a quiet second half — he didn’t score until the 14 minute mark — but still finished as the leading scorer in the game with 20 points to go with his six assists and two steals.
Regardless, Oregon pulled away throughout the second half: as USC’s Galen Center emptied, the Ducks’ lead grew and grew. For the Trojans, it was too little, too late: with 7 minutes to play, Bronny James made a deep 3-pointer — to cut the Oregon lead to 13. An 11-0 run near the end of the game didn’t bring the Trojans close enough — the Ducks would finish with a nine-point advantage, half their largest lead.
The 3-ball continued to be Oregon’s best friend in the second period; by the end of the game, half of Oregon’s made field goals were from 3-point range and the team had found 36 points from deep. Shelstad was 7-13 from beyond the arc, and the Ducks were 37.5% by the time the game was finished.
Oregon is once again joint-top of the Pac-12, though Arizona holds the tiebreaker after its statement victory in Eugene last Saturday, and the Ducks are without question still in the fight to make the NCAA Tournament. With Thursday’s win, Oregon sits victorious in four of the last five games against USC, and will look to make its case for March in Hollywood this weekend.
The Ducks look to sweep the Los Angeles road trip on Saturday against UCLA (9-11, 4-5 Pac-12) in what could be another quality statement win for Altman’s squad.
