ANDREW GREIF | SPORTS EDITOR
It was supposed to be head coach Ernie Kent’s record-breaking win as head coach, but Monday night turned out to be memorable only for Oakland.
The Grizzlies (1-1) lost a three-point lead at the end of regulation but held on beat Oregon 82-79 in overtime at McArthur Court, only the second road win over a BCS conference school in Oakland’s program history.
Junior guard Johnathon Jones fouled junior Tajuan Porter on a three-pointer to allow the Ducks to tie the game with six seconds left in the second half but had the last laugh by making an 18-foot jump shot over an extended freshman Drew Wiley on the right baseline with six seconds left in overtime.
Jones finished with a game-high, and career-high, 32 points and added seven rebounds, playing all 45 minutes.
“To do what he did down the stretch and make our free throws, I’m just as happy as can be,” said Oakland head coach Greg Kampe, who won his 397th game of his career.
Oakland won despite a foot injury to leading returning scorer Derick Nelson that will keep him out for four to eight weeks.
“With Nelson not being here, it just adds more pressure to the young players,” Jones said.
Tied with Howard Hobson with 212 wins at Oregon (1-1), Kent looked to be on the way to number 213 in the first half. Sophomore guard LeKendric Longmire scored all of his 18 points in the first 20 minutes, including a buzzer-beater three to put Oregon ahead 46-41 heading into halftime. The shot sent Longmire sprinting toward the Oregon locker room, but when he came back for the second half, cramps held him to only three shots, all misses, and 13 minutes played.
“My legs weren’t the same afterwards,” said Longmire, who also had two highlight-worthy blocks during the first half.
Junior Joevan Catron only shot 2-of-9 from the field but made nine free throws to finish with 13 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and eight assists. Freshman center Michael Dunigan scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds.
Oakland knocked then-No.23 Oregon out of the rankings for the rest of the season when it beat the Ducks 68-62 three days before Christmas last year. Out of the Grizzlies’ 5-38 record all-time against BCS schools, two wins have come at Oregon’s expense.
Oregon didn’t score for the first 4:15 of the second half, a stretch where Oakland turned a five-point deficit into a five-point lead.
With Oakland using its box-and-one defense that focused on denying Porter shots, Sim made two threes in the last 3:08 in overtime to bring the Ducks to 80-75. Porter made two free throws with 22 seconds remaining, and Catron stole the inbounds pass at halfcourt but without a timeout, forced up a 45-foot shot that went nowhere near the rim.
“I just tried to get it off in the nick of time,” Catron said.
Longmire had the best luck on Jones throughout the night, but when he went out, Jones was able to run around and shoot over his defenders, including Porter. Both played against each other from high school.
“He’s gotten a lot better since high school,” Porter said.
ANDREW GREIF
[email protected]