Kansas State received plenty of hype as a young, dangerous team heading into the game, especially freshman forward Michael Beasley, but Oregon’s veterans proved to be the difference as the Ducks won 80-77 in overtime in Manhattan, Kan.
The Wildcats (5-2 overall) had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds but made the mental mistake of passing to a player under the rim rather than shooting a potentially game-tying three pointer. Time expired before Kansas State attempted the final shot.
For Oregon coach Ernie Kent, it the type of win the No. 17 Ducks (6-1) needed to confirm that it’s capable of winning without former senior guard Aaron Brooks.
“Even though you’ve got those four starters back and three veteran players, we’ve got to put Aaron Brooks behind us,” Kent said in a broadcast interview. “At halftime we said, ‘This is where Aaron Brooks kind of gave us confidence in these tough situations by making big plays.’ That’s the last part of this team to grow through. I thought there were several guys in the second half that stepped up and made big shots and big rebounds and big stops.”
Kent pointed out that Porter, especially, grew during the game after having a rough time in the first half.
“He’s got to understand there’s no A.B. here,” Kent said. “He’s the guy that has to run this team.
“He learned throughout the course of this game.”
Kent also highlighted Maarty Leunen and Joevan Catron for having outstanding games despite both fouling out in overtime. Catron scored all of his 15 points in the second half while adding eight rebounds. Leunen, recording another double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, guarded Beasley for most of the game and held him to seven points in the first half. Beasley finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, both were below their season averages.
“There was big defensive shot pressure on Beasley down the stretch,” Kent said.
Kent said the team’s matchup-zone defense is what saved them in the second half after entering the half with a two-point deficit.
“It was a tremendous effort because that was a Pac-10 road game,” Kent said. “I don’t know if there’s a tougher environment in terms of the students and the noise to play in.”
Later in the interview Kent took the comparison a step further.
“There was no environment like this in the preseason last year,” Kent said. “They’re like NCAA tournament games. The more we can win and have success in the these games, the more we’re going to grow up as a basketball team.”
While Oregon won the game, Kansas State led throughout most of the game even as the Ducks continued to climb back at several point and eventually take a six-point lead late in the second half. Despite being down, Kent said they handled themselves much better than they did during the loss at Saint Mary’s the previous week.
“I thought we were a lot more composed,” Kent said. “What a great job to play through those missed free throws.”
Oregon made 14-of-26 from the line for 53.8 percent, but made the right moves when it mattered most.
“There were 10 possessions down the stretch that we did all the right things,” Kent said.
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Resilient Ducks work overtime for win
Daily Emerald
November 29, 2007
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