The Oregon Ducks (4-1) will attempt to put past heartbreak aside Saturday when Georgetown (2-1) invades McArthur Court at noon for the final game of the Hispanic College Fund Classic.
Oregon, which lost its first game of the season in dramatic fashion last Wednesday at Vanderbilt when Mario Moore connected on a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Commodores a 76-75 victory, will now set its sights on the Hoyas in the first ever meeting between the two schools.
The Ducks are returning home to play their fifth game at McArthur Court this season.
It appeared Oregon would escape Nashville last Wednesday and return to Eugene with an undefeated record when, with the game tied at 73, point guard Aaron Brooks banked in a driving layup to put Oregon in front with 3.3 seconds remaining.
But Moore’s desperation runner changed that for the Ducks, who had won their previous four games by an average of 32.75 points per game – albeit against lower-caliber teams.
Oregon expected facing perimeter-oriented Vanderbilt on the road to be its biggest test thus far, and the Commodores delivered, shooting 76 percent from the field in the second half and 80 percent from three-point range to spark a 17-5 run late in the game.
Despite the loss, many positives emerged for Oregon. Sophomore guard Malik Hairston posted a career-high 25 points and the Ducks were in position to win the game in a hostile environment (12,626 at Memorial Gym). Oregon led 35-30 at halftime and 53-43 midway through the second half, mostly without the inside presence of newcomer Ivan Johnson, who played only 15 minutes due to foul trouble. He finished with a season-low two points.
“You are coming through an arena where a team (Vanderbilt) has won 27 straight non-conference games and you come in here and battle your tails off,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said following Wednesday’s loss. “(Oregon) is going to be a very good basketball team. They feel terrible in there right now. It’s unfortunate it took a hail mary shot at the buzzer to beat them in this environment.”
Oregon has a chance to erase the memory Saturday against another quality opponent.
“I’m going to tip my hat to Vanderbilt and we’ll go back to work and get ready for Georgetown and the next one,” Kent said.
Like the Ducks, Georgetown enters the contest following a loss to Vanderbilt. The Hoyas fell 68-61 at home against the Commodores last Saturday.
The second half, as it was against Vanderbilt, has been the nemesis for the Hoyas. They were outscored 39-25 against the Commodores after taking a seven-point lead into the break.
Georgetown has been out scored 104-93 in the second half this season but has owned the first half, outscoring its opponents 113-79.
The Hoyas, led by 7-foot-2 sophomore Roy Hibbert, will present challenges for the Ducks inside. Hibbert is averaging a team-high 16.3 points per game.
Complementing Hibbert inside is another sophomore – 6-foot-9 forward Jeff Green – who is second in scoring with 10.3 points per game and averages a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game.
Georgetown, under coach John Thompson III – son of basketball legend John Thompson, Jr. – defeated Navy 72-49 to open the season and James Madison 73-66 before falling to Vanderbilt.
“Oregon poses a very big test, and that’s an understatement,” Thompson III said. “They’re veteran team and they play well at home.”
Ducks hope to rebound after tough loss
Daily Emerald
December 1, 2005
Malik Hairston shoots in a recent game against Rice. Hairston scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Wednesday during a 76-75 loss at Vanderbilt.
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