It was a tale of two halves for the Ducks.
After coming out sluggish in the first half and digging itself into a massive hole, Oregon used a big second half rally to come from behind and stun the mostly-pro Alabama crowd in a 72-68 win. With the win, Oregon gave the Crimson Tide their first home loss of the season and improved to 10-2 while Alabama fell to 7-3.
Dillon Brooks was monumental in the comeback for the Ducks. He scored 23 points and added five assists and four rebounds, constantly keeping the Ducks in the game during the first half while helping propel them in the second.
Tyler Dorsey didn’t have his best offensive game (10 points) as Alabama did a good job of throwing different bodies at him. However, he did go 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to ice the game.
Alabama came out firing to start the game. The Ducks were unable to contain the Crimson Tide in the paint and beyond the arc as they trailed 38-26 going into the locker room at halftime.
Whatever head coach Dana Altman said, Oregon got the message loud and clear and made the necessary adjustments.
The Ducks, led by Chris Boucher, Jordan Bell and Brooks, erased the deficit with a 26-8 run to start the second half.
Alabama battled back and tied the game at 65 on a Riley Norris jumper coming out of the under-three minute TV timeout.
The Ducks responded with a three-pointer by Elgin Cook with 2:09 remaining for the 68-65 lead, something Oregon wouldn’t relinquish.
The Crimson Tide had multiple looks over the final minutes to tie the game but they went 0-for-3, before they began fouling. Dorsey sunk his first pair of free throws with 15 seconds left and after Alabama hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two, Dorsey was fouled. Again, he sunk the final two free throws to end the game.
For Oregon, Bell finished with 15 points and five rebounds while Boucher added 11 points and seven rebounds. Cook chipped in nine points and nine rebounds.
The Ducks finish up their non conference season at home when they face Western Oregon at 6 p.m. on December 29.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka