During halftime of Oregon’s matchup with Baylor in Waco, Texas on Tuesday, ESPN commentator Andy Katz stated that Duck forward Dillon Brooks could return from a foot injury as early as next Monday.
The news couldn’t come at a better time for the Ducks, who missed the scoring presence of Brooks mightily Tuesday afternoon as they fell 66-49 in the final game of the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.
Oregon falls to 1-1 on the season with the loss, and will likely see their ranking plummet after being dished an early-season blowout by the unranked Bears. At No. 4, Oregon was the top team that Baylor had ever welcomed to Waco, and the Bears took command of the game right away.
Baylor took a 33-23 lead into the half and held the Ducks to 9-of-32 shooting, including 2-of-13 from three-point range in the first half.
The Ducks grabbed momentum early in the second half, though. Dylan Ennis sliced through the lane for a layup on the Ducks’ first possession, and assisted on a Chris Boucher bucket on the next. Tyler Dorsey then drilled a three, and Boucher slammed home a dunk to cut the Baylor lead to one point.
But the Bears surged back and took a 45-38 lead with 12 minutes left in the game. That was the closest Oregon would get from that point, and the Ducks went on to shoot 3-of-21 from three-point range for the game.
Ennis led Oregon with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting, grabbed two steals, and blocked two shots. Jordan Bell had eight points on 4-of-8 shooting, pulled down 11 rebounds, and blocked four shots, including two on back-to-back possessions early in the second half. Failure to convert from beyond the arc haunted the Ducks, though, and Ennis, Dorsey and Boucher combined to shoot 3-of-14 from long distance.
Baylor forward Jonathan Motley finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for the Bears, and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. blocked seven shots.
Oregon will next face Valparaiso in Eugene on Nov. 17. The game will be televised at 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Network.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney
The post No. 4 Oregon basketball falls to Baylor 66-49 in first road test of season appeared first on Emerald Media.