Oregon men’s basketball came into the game expecting a shootout, but earned a blowout as they trounced Washington State 95-72 at Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday afternoon.
After Oregon (17-7, 7-4) announced its leading shot blocker Jordan Bell’s one game suspension, it seemed like the Ducks and Cougs (10-13, 4-7) were headed to a matchup like their first one, where the two teams combined for 207 points.
But after Oregon jumped out to a 12-0 lead to start the game, the Ducks slammed on the accelerator and never looked back.
Joseph Young was the first Duck to step up in Bell’s absence. Young finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, just shy of Oregon’s first triple double since Luke Jackson accomplished the feat in 2002.
Young’s great night in the box score should be credited to his move to the point guard full time after spending his Oregon career as a shooting guard. His leadership has led to increased efficiency and fewer bad possessions on both ends of the floor.
“I’m getting the team more focused,” Young said. “(I) make sure we get into the offense, make sure we get back on defense and make sure we’re communicating on the court. Once we do that and we stay more active…we’ll be good down the stretch.”
With Young creating plays, Oregon’s supporting cast flourished.
Dwayne Benjamin missed just one shot all night long, setting a new Matthew Knight Arena record for single game shooting percentage (.909). Benjamin finished with 25 points on 10 of 11 shooting, five rebounds, one assist, one block and three steals.
“I think I contributed pretty well,” Benjamin said. “I could have made a few plays on defense assignments wise, but I think I played pretty well tonight.”
Benjamin’s performance helped Oregon get out to a hot start in the first half as the Ducks went on a 23-4 run to start the game. By the second media timeout, Oregon was 9 for 15 from the field while Washington State was held to just 2 of 12 shooting.
Even without its best interior defender, Oregon held Washington State to a mere two points in the paint in the first half and 24 for the game after giving up 42 points down low against Washington a few days before.
“I was really pleased with our activity in the first half,” head coach Dana Altman said. “I thought our guys really flew around, diving on loose balls, our rebounding was good, only one turnover, made shots for each other…so in the first half, I really loved our intensity.”
The Ducks’ strong defensive performance gave them multiple advantages on the hustle board. Oregon out-rebounded WSU 39-37, earned more points off of turnovers (12-4) and edged the Cougs in fast break points (23-14).
Dillon Brooks and Jalil Abdul-Bassit pitched in nine and 11 points respectively to round out Oregon’s scoring.
Freshman Roman Sorkin also earned career-highs in minutes played (14) and points (8).
Washington State’s leading scorer DaVonté Lacy struggled to start the game and shot just 2-7 from the field in the first half, but finished with 13 points and three rebounds. Dexter Kernich-Drew led the team with 18 points, while Josh Hawkinson led the Cougs in the paint with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Oregon has now built a three game winning streak, its longest of the Pac-12 season, and is quickly approaching the NCAA Tournament bubble watch. With just seven games remaining, the Ducks will be under the microscope for the rest of the way.
The Ducks will looks to continue their winning ways on the road against the Los Angeles schools next week.
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter