Thursday, February 2
Eugene, Ore.
8:00 PM
University of Oregon
71
vs
70
Arizona State
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Brooks' Late Outburst Fuels Win Over ASU
02/02/17 | Men's Basketball
Dillon Brooks scored Oregon's final 12 points in a 71-70 victory over Arizona State on Thursday.
EUGENE, Ore. — Preseason all-American Dillon Brooks scored 12 straight points for No. 13 Oregon down the stretch Thursday night, as the Ducks held off a spunky Arizona State squad, 71-70 before 11,901 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
How It Happened: The Oregon men (20-3, 9-1 Pac-12) trailed 60-59 before Brooks took over the game in the final 3:15. On five consecutive trips the UO junior made two free throws, hit a three-pointer, made two more free throws, hit another three-pointer and then capped the outburst with a jump shot just inside the arc that gave the Ducks a 71-66 lead. The Sun Devils scored twice in the final minute to get within one, but Oregon was able to inbound the ball with 2.9 seconds left and run out the clock for the win.
The second half went back and forth, with Oregon mounting a 15-4 run early in the half to take a 49-41 lead on a bank shot by Brooks. ASU (10-13, 3-7) responded with a 10-1 run to pull ahead 51-50, and was up 54-52 until the Ducks scored seven straight to go up 59-54 on a Jordan Bell basket assisted by Brooks. The Sun Devils then scored six in a row to take their last lead, 60-59, setting the stage for Brooks' dramatics.
The Ducks trailed at halftime for just the fifth time this season, 28-25. Bell scored on three straight possessions for an early 6-5 lead, and he scored again a few minutes later to put Oregon ahead 15-12. The UO men eventually led by as much as five at 21-16 after Dylan Ennis sliced to the rim for a layin. But ASU turned it over just once in the half and held Oregon scoreless for a stretch of 4:13 late in the half, allowing the Sun Devils to forge a 26-23 advantage. The teams traded baskets in the final minute to make it 28-25 at the break.
Who Stood Out: Brooks finished with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 21 in the second half. Bell added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Tyler Dorsey added 11 points and Ennis scored 10. Shannon Evans II scored a game-high 28 for Arizona State, including 17 in the second half.
What It Means: The Ducks avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, bouncing back from a loss at Colorado and setting up a battle for first place in the Pac-12 with Arizona on Saturday.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, head coach
On his thoughts overall
"We didn't have a good rhythm in the first half, obviously; took some bad threes. … That kind of threw our rhythm off offensively. We were standing around; our ball movement wasn't good. So, disappointed with the way we played offensively in the first half. In the second half our ball movement was better … and we kind of relied on Dillon down the stretch. He was really good late there. He was making plays and doing a great job. Guys got him the ball in the right spot, but he had to finish them."
Dillon Brooks, junior wing
On his outburst down the stretch
"We knew we couldn't drop two in a row, especially at home. This was a tough team; we knew it was a tough team. And we knew we had to make plays for each other and get the win. … My teammates kept giving me confidence, and coach said take whatever shots you like. I guess those shots, I liked."
Jordan Bell, junior post
On pulling out the victory
"We didn't shoot the ball very well, but we kept grinding it out. We didn't do that at Colorado, but it showed that even if we're not shooting well, we can get wins."
Notable: Oregon won 20 of its first 23 games for the first time since 1937-38. The Ducks are 9-1 in conference play for the first time since the 1938-39 team opened 11-1. … This is Oregon's seventh straight 20-win season, a program first. ... Bell's double-double was his third this season, and the fifth of the junior's career. … Brooks finished the game with 1,317 career points, passing Charlie Warren (1,301/1959-62) for 18th in UO history. ... Freshman Keith Smith, who is averaging eight minutes per game in 19 appearances this season, did not suit up due to injury. His classmate M.J. Cage has yet to play this season and is on track to redshirt. … UO football alumni George Wrighster, DeForest Buckner, Dwayne Stanford, Arik Armstead and Akili Smith sat courtside with ESPN personality Neil Everett. They attended the Oregon Club of Portland's football signing day banquet Wednesday night.
Up Next: The Ducks turn their attention to an eagerly awaited showdown with Arizona in Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN).
How It Happened: The Oregon men (20-3, 9-1 Pac-12) trailed 60-59 before Brooks took over the game in the final 3:15. On five consecutive trips the UO junior made two free throws, hit a three-pointer, made two more free throws, hit another three-pointer and then capped the outburst with a jump shot just inside the arc that gave the Ducks a 71-66 lead. The Sun Devils scored twice in the final minute to get within one, but Oregon was able to inbound the ball with 2.9 seconds left and run out the clock for the win.
The second half went back and forth, with Oregon mounting a 15-4 run early in the half to take a 49-41 lead on a bank shot by Brooks. ASU (10-13, 3-7) responded with a 10-1 run to pull ahead 51-50, and was up 54-52 until the Ducks scored seven straight to go up 59-54 on a Jordan Bell basket assisted by Brooks. The Sun Devils then scored six in a row to take their last lead, 60-59, setting the stage for Brooks' dramatics.
The Ducks trailed at halftime for just the fifth time this season, 28-25. Bell scored on three straight possessions for an early 6-5 lead, and he scored again a few minutes later to put Oregon ahead 15-12. The UO men eventually led by as much as five at 21-16 after Dylan Ennis sliced to the rim for a layin. But ASU turned it over just once in the half and held Oregon scoreless for a stretch of 4:13 late in the half, allowing the Sun Devils to forge a 26-23 advantage. The teams traded baskets in the final minute to make it 28-25 at the break.
Who Stood Out: Brooks finished with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 21 in the second half. Bell added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Tyler Dorsey added 11 points and Ennis scored 10. Shannon Evans II scored a game-high 28 for Arizona State, including 17 in the second half.
What It Means: The Ducks avoided losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, bouncing back from a loss at Colorado and setting up a battle for first place in the Pac-12 with Arizona on Saturday.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, head coach
On his thoughts overall
"We didn't have a good rhythm in the first half, obviously; took some bad threes. … That kind of threw our rhythm off offensively. We were standing around; our ball movement wasn't good. So, disappointed with the way we played offensively in the first half. In the second half our ball movement was better … and we kind of relied on Dillon down the stretch. He was really good late there. He was making plays and doing a great job. Guys got him the ball in the right spot, but he had to finish them."
Dillon Brooks, junior wing
On his outburst down the stretch
"We knew we couldn't drop two in a row, especially at home. This was a tough team; we knew it was a tough team. And we knew we had to make plays for each other and get the win. … My teammates kept giving me confidence, and coach said take whatever shots you like. I guess those shots, I liked."
Jordan Bell, junior post
On pulling out the victory
"We didn't shoot the ball very well, but we kept grinding it out. We didn't do that at Colorado, but it showed that even if we're not shooting well, we can get wins."
Notable: Oregon won 20 of its first 23 games for the first time since 1937-38. The Ducks are 9-1 in conference play for the first time since the 1938-39 team opened 11-1. … This is Oregon's seventh straight 20-win season, a program first. ... Bell's double-double was his third this season, and the fifth of the junior's career. … Brooks finished the game with 1,317 career points, passing Charlie Warren (1,301/1959-62) for 18th in UO history. ... Freshman Keith Smith, who is averaging eight minutes per game in 19 appearances this season, did not suit up due to injury. His classmate M.J. Cage has yet to play this season and is on track to redshirt. … UO football alumni George Wrighster, DeForest Buckner, Dwayne Stanford, Arik Armstead and Akili Smith sat courtside with ESPN personality Neil Everett. They attended the Oregon Club of Portland's football signing day banquet Wednesday night.
Up Next: The Ducks turn their attention to an eagerly awaited showdown with Arizona in Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN).
Players Mentioned
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