Eugene, OR – The Oregon Ducks faced a tough Eastern Washington squad this afternoon in a game that was only scheduled yesterday afternoon. The Eagles won the Big Sky conference last season and are predicted to win again this year. Coming off a 23-8 season they are led by preseason conference player of the year 6-4 Jacob Davison. They are coming off three-point losses to Pac-12 teams Arizona and Washington State. The Ducks took the floor after splitting their first two games, a loss against Missouri followed by a win vs. Seton Hall.
Oregon pulled away in the second half and beat Eastern Washington 69-52 in a relatively sloppy game. Eugene Omoruyi, who was named Pac-12 player of the week shortly before the game after averaging 26.5 points over the first two games, led the Ducks with 18 points. He didn’t have his most efficient game, shooting 8-of-18 with four turnovers but knows how to use his body inside to score against bigger players. Eric Williams Jr. added 17 points, connecting on three 3s. LJ Figueroa also scored in double-figures with 12 points.
Oregon went with a small lineup throughout much of the final part of the game, playing Amauri Hardy or Jalen Terry, with Omoruyi, Williams Jr., LJ Figueroa and Chris Duarte. The team has been more efficient playing without a traditional big so far this season. Figueroa (10 rebounds), Williams Jr. (10 rebounds) and Duarte (8 rebounds) all battled on the boards. Eastern Washington’s Tanner Groves led the game in rebounding with 13. Oregon won the rebounding war 45-31.
Omoruyi started this game strongly with seven quick points before moving to the bench after committing his second foul. Eastern Washington stayed close through the first half. Davison scored eight quick points and 12 overall in the half. The Eagles took a 6-point lead (21-15) after a three-pointer from 6-6 sophomore Tyler Robertson (9 first half points) . Oregon battled back and took the lead at 30-28 on a three from freshman Jalen Terry. Terry pulled down a rebound and went coast to coast for a layup at the buzzer to give the Ducks a 36-32 halftime lead.
6-2 graduate transfer Hardy (UNLV) gave Oregon 14 good first half minutes. He didn’t score but had five assists, several nice dishes off penetration, and the Ducks were +8 while he was on the court. Chandler Lawson led the Ducks with eight points at the half, making his four shots, several of them layups off Hardy dishes. Duarte had six rebounds and Eric Williams Jr. was active with two three-pointers.
Terry had another nice game, adding eight points with two three-pointers, and committed no turnovers in 19 minutes. The freshman point guard has not committed a turnover thus far this season. Oregon’s passing in the game was poor and they ended the game with 14 turnovers. Neither team shot particularly well, with the Ducks hitting 44 percent to the Eagles’ 33 percent. Oregon shot 38 percent on 3s (8-of-21) while the Eagles only connected on 19 percent (5-of-26) from deep. Davison led Eastern Washington with 15 points while Robertson added 11.
Oregon will get back on the floor at home on Wednesday evening against Florida A&M.
This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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