Corvallis, OR – In their 353rd meeting, the No. 14-ranked Oregon Ducks were looking to keep pace at the top of the Pac-12 title race as they faced the Oregon State Beavers Saturday night in front of a sold-out (9,309) Gill Coliseum. Oregon came out strong to begin the second half taking a 42-34 lead, but the Beavers were relentless. Their defense clamped down on the Ducks holding them to just two points in a span of 9:22 to fight back in the contest. Zach Reichle made a key 3-pointer from the wing to extend the lead to five points with 1:17 remaining and help the Beavers a 63-53 upset win..
The first half was a back and forth battle with leads exchanging several times. Senior Tres Tinkle got things started for the Beavers as he scored on a put back and a few minutes later, penetrated to the hoop scoring around the Oregon big men to give the Beavers an 11-9 advantage with 13:55 remaining in the half. Tinkle did struggle to find consistency on the offensive end for the duration of the game. The 6-7 NBA prospect finished with 13 points on just 4-of-13 shooting with several points coming from the free throw line near the close of the game. He also added six rebounds, five assists (four turnovers), and three steals.
In the final 4:17 of the first half, Oregon finished on a 10-2 run sparked by Shakur Juiston. The 6-7 forward caught the ball on the wing and spotted up for a 3-pointer from the corner on a Payton Pritchard assist. Juiston was active in the first half pulling down five rebounds and chipping in five points to help give the Ducks 32-28 halftime advantage. His main responsibility was on the defensive end keeping the Beavers 7-0 big Kylor Kelley out of the paint. Juiston had a quiet second half and ended the contest with five points (2-of-6 FG) and ten rebounds.
Oregon came out strong in the second half with the play of their guards Pritchard and Chris Duarte. Pritchard’s rebound and strong outlet to Duarte for the lay-in with 14:50 left in the contest gave Oregon an 8-point lead. Oregon seemed determined to take control of the game, but Duarte was contained down the stretch. He recorded 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting and four rebounds.
Pritchard, who is the only Pac-12 player remaining on the top-20 Wooden Award Watch, had a hard time getting in the flow with the Beavers defense collapsing on him. He tried to rally the Ducks late with some amazing lay-ins over Kelley but ultimately Oregon could not stage a late comeback. Pritchard, the leading scorer in the conference, went 7-for-21 (1-8 3PT) from the field to score 16 points. He did dish out nine assists and pulled down four rebounds on a tough night.
Seven-footer Kelley played a huge role in the upset win. His presence on the defensive end caused fits for the Ducks as he made it extremely difficult for Oregon to get in the paint for easy buckets. As one of the nation’s leading shot blockers, Kelley had two blocks and altered many of Oregon’s shots while forcing Oregon to pass the ball out due to his help. The Ducks had to settle for outside shots and had an off game from the 3-point line (6-of-22). Kelley recorded 14 points (7-for-9 FG) and seven rebounds.
Guards Ethan Thompson and Reichle of Oregon State helped in the win. Thompson, a junior, got the Beavers back on top 44-42 with 9:20 left with a strong take and finish at the hoop. He scored 15 points (5-for-12 FG), grabbed four rebounds and had four assists. Reichle did most of his damage from the 3-point line as he went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. The junior guard finished with 11 points (4-for-9 FG), six rebounds and four assists. The Beavers were poised down the stretch as they made their last six free throws in the final 30 seconds and shot 92 percent (12-for-13) in the game. The win gave Oregon State their fourth upset over a ranked team (Oregon, Stanford, Colorado and Arizona) this season.
Oregon (18-6, 7-4) will look to bounce back this Thursday after two straight losses as they host No. 24 Colorado (19-5, 8-3). Oregon State (14-9, 4-7) will host the Utah Utes (14-9, 5-6) also on Thursday.
This article was written by Chad Mart, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout certification program. For information contact us and forward your resume.
