Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
The Oregon men’s basketball team may have been playing a team from Down Under on Wednesday night, but they dominated the game from up top.
And down under, for that matter. And around. And everywhere in a 135-86 win over the Australian Institute of Sport in the Ducks’ exhibition season opener.
In a landslide of impressive statistics, it was Oregon’s shooting that stood out. The Ducks hit 48 of the 84 shots they took, including 31-of-44 in the first half. The Ducks made 10 of 13 three-pointers in the first half and ended the game shooting 62.5 percent from three-point land on 15-for-24 shooting.
“That’s how we’ve shot in practice, and we just took it out there in a game,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
Birthday boy Luke Jackson led the way — Wednesday was Jackson’s 21st birthday — with 32 points. Jackson missed only three shots and was perfect from the free throw line on seven attempts.
“I just came ready to play today,” Jackson said. “The shots were there and they just dropped.”
The shots were falling for all the Ducks in the first half. Oregon posted 79 points in the first frame of a completely dominating offensive performance — a performance that erased any doubts about whether a Freddie Jones-less Oregon squad could still be high-flying.
In one sequence, with Oregon leading 53-26 midway through the half, Ian Crosswhite hit a three-pointer and the AIS players led a fast break going the other way. But Jackson came up with a steal, and fed Luke Ridnour, who left the ball for Crosswhite, who finished with a massive dunk. On the next possession, Jay Anderson fed Jackson for a fast-break dunk, and on the next possession Ridnour found Jackson again, above the rim this time for a thunderous alley-oop.
“I still get impressed with those guys every day,” transfer guard Andre Joseph said of his high-flying counterparts.
Of the newcomers, Joseph and Crosswhite made the biggest impression on the crowd of 8,206 at McArthur Court. Both were perfect from beyond the three-point line in the first half, and they finished with a combined 38 points. Crosswhite, competing against his former team, played 20 minutes and scored 19 points.
“We’ve got guys coming in that are really stepping up,” Ridnour said. “I think we’ll be just fine replacing (Jones and Chris Christoffersen).”
And from the old guard — or guards — Jackson and Ridnour proved they are still one of the top tandems in the country. The duo combined for 50 points, and Ridnour chipped in with 13 assists.
Ridnour hit the ground hard on one play in the second half, a block on a fast break. Ridnour elevated for the block, but fell on his rear next to the hoop as the crowd went silent. But he got up a short while later, and said he will be sore for a few days.
Almost everybody on the team got playing time Wednesday night. Kent’s son, Jordan, and Adam Zahn sat out the game for possible redshirt reasons, but Kent played everybody else on the team — in the first half. The only player on the squad who didn’t score in the first period was Brandon Lincoln, but Lincoln got his first points on a three-pointer with 9:18 left in the second. He ended the game with six points.
The Ducks’ next exhibition game is set for next Thursday at 7 p.m., when the Ducks will take on the EA Sports Allstars at McArthur Court.