Even though Oregon men’s basketball (12-8, 3-4) trailed at halftime, due in most part to Washington State’s (8-12, 1-6) success on offense and Oregon’s lackadaisical defense, the Ducks prevailed in a second half surge, outscoring the Cougars 29-10 down the stretch to win 78-58.
Here are the top takeaways from the game:
First half defense < Second half defense
Despite its record, Washington State has performed well on offense, posting the second best points per game in the Pac-12 with 78.5. Forwards CJ Elleby, 16.1 points per game, and Robert Franks, 20.1 points per game, were otherworldly in the first half, actually putting the Cougars up at the break.
In the first half alone, the two combined to go 11-13 from the field for 27 points with Franks going 6-6 and Elleby going 5-7.
In the second half, Oregon’s defense locked down the Cougars. The Ducks held Franks and Elleby to a total of seven points, while limiting the entire Cougar offense to just 19.
“We played defense very poorly in the first half,” forward Kenny Wooten said. “I can’t lie, they were hot, but our bad defense didn’t help that.”
The Cougars’ first half shooting percentage was over 77 percent. In the second half, Oregon’s activity picked up drastically, limiting them to 33 percent.
“They’re a good offensive team,” head coach Dana Altman said. “Franks is one of the best offensive players in the league. We weren’t surprised that they could score. Our activity just wasn’t very good.”
Wooten steps up in second half
Over the last few games, freshman forward Louis King and senior forward Paul White have carried the Oregon offense.
On Sunday, King, 8-11 from the field, scored a team-high 22 points, which also tied his career high. White put up another good 18-point performance, going 7-11, while also leading the team in rebounds with six.
King has yet to score below 10 points since Pac-12 play started, kicking off his streak with a 19-point performance against Oregon State.
Discounting Oregon’s last game against Washington, White has scored at least 12 points in seven straight games, including a season-high 19 against USC.
Both players have been productive, but Oregon is 2-4 in Pac-12 play due in most part to late game struggles. In order to not only improve their offensive output, but also their win total and spacing on the court, the Ducks needed a third scorer to step up, preferably in the paint.
On Sunday, forward Kenny Wooten had one of his best offensive games as a Duck, scoring 20 points, which tied his career high. Wooten took control of the paint in the second half, leading Oregon with 14 points down the stretch.
Seemingly reluctant as of late with the ball, Altman and Wooten have talked about the forward being more aggressive when on offense and “not being afraid to fail.”
“I thought he was a lot more aggressive than what he’s been,” Altman said. “He misses a couple shots and doesn’t want the ball anymore. I told him, ‘None of our other guys have that problem.’ … I thought his activity under the zone was really good.”
Pritchard leading in other ways
Junior guard Payton Pritchard had a milestone day for the Ducks despite scoring just five points. Pritchard set a career-high in steals with six, while also tying the Matthew Knight Arena record which was set in 2014 by Joe Young.
Pritchard has struggled to knock down shots at times this season, but his defense and passing has been very good. Against Washington State, Pritchard had eight assists and no turnovers, compared to his six steals, which attributed heavily to the 21 points off turnovers the Ducks recorded.
“Payton is playing really good defense lately,” guard Ehab Amin said. “That’s not the first game he had a good defensive game. He’s been having a couple steals the last five, six games. Six steals is a lot. He set the tone, especially in the second half, to play defense.”
Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack
