The No. 12 Ducks (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten) put themselves in a position that has been all too familiar so far this season.
Oregon trailed the USC Trojans (5-4, 0-1 Big Ten) 30-23 at halftime, which became the fourth time this season that head coach Dana Altman’s squad were behind at the break — each time the Ducks pulled through.
Wednesday night in Los Angeles would be no different. Oregon found a way to beat the Trojans 68-60 after a drastic second half turnaround that included 21 points from Jackson Shelstad.
The glaring difference between the two halves was the amount of trips the Ducks took to the free throw line. Oregon shot four foul shots in the first half and 20 in the second, which can be placed under the umbrella of problems rooted in coming out flat.
USC practically led the whole way during the opening frame on Wednesday night. After Oregon opened with a 2-0 lead, USC came back with a bucket of its own, but that’s where the former Pac-12 rivals left it for the first four minutes of the contest.
Stout defense and dismal offense characterized the period. Oregon shot 34% from the field and 30% from deep while the Trojans matched it with 38% shooting and coupled it with 25% from beyond the arc.
USC’s 30 points came from just four players as well, with two scoring a measly two points each. Trojan guards Desmond Claude and Chibuzo Agbo scored 26 of those points with 12 and 14, respectively. Agbo scored four more points in the contest and fouled out late in the second half, while Claude remained consistent with his scoring.
Towards the end of the first, Oregon found life. The input of Keeshawn Barthelemy, per usual, sparked both Oregon’s offense and defense. Barthelemy was the only Duck to score in double-digits, as he scored 10 of his 18 points in the first half.
Coming out in the second half, Oregon showed a significantly different fire. The team started guarding more aggressively, passing more precisely and making more of its shots. A large part of the catalyst for that was the persistence in getting to the free throw line.
Oregon remained behind for most of the beginning of the second half, but as the game went on the Ducks’ tough defense gave the offense enough of a cushion to get into rhythm. USC took an impressive run to a 10 point lead with just over 15 minutes to play, and that’s when the rhythm started.
Oregon shot 41.4% in the second half, which was largely due to the excellence at point guard by Shelstad.
Shelstad’s ability to drive on larger guards collapsed the USC defense due to his ability to take and make some of the toughest layups imaginable. When taking that shot wasn’t the best option, he could find Barthelemy outside for a three from deep. Barthelemy shot 2-2 from deep in the closing frame, each time from a drive-and-kick opportunity from Shelstad.
The second of which tied the game at 55. Less than 40 seconds later, Shelstad hit one from the logo, and the Ducks took a lead they would not give up for the last four minutes of the game.
That was Shelstad’s 21st of his game-leading 24 points — 12 of which came on his 14 free throw attempts.
Shelstad and Barthelemy proved the keys to the game for a Ducks’ win. TJ Bamba finished with an abysmal six points on 2-13 shooting and season leader in points Nate Bittle tallied just five of his own — given, he only took five shots.
Wednesday’s was a guard-dominated game, and the persistence of Oregon’s backcourt in getting to the rim and creating free throws proved to push Altman’s squad over the edge. USC failed to play 40 minutes of consistent basketball, which cost it a chance at an important ranked win.
The Ducks move on to the other Southern California conference foe, but this time at home on Sunday afternoon when Oregon takes on the UCLA Bruins at 3 p.m. in Matthew Knight Arena.
