The Oregon Ducks used a second half surge to beat the USC Trojans 82-61 at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday. Oregon got off to a rough start and found themselves down 11 points early in the first half. From there, Oregon settled in and took over behind strong performances from Ducks center Nate Bittle, as well as guards Jackson Shelstad and Keeshawn Barthelemy.
USC hung around for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but the wheels came off and the Ducks took over down the stretch.
Oregon improved to 21-8 on the season and 10-8 in the Big Ten.
USC fell to 14-15 and 6-12 in Big Ten conference play.
End of Game: A game that was within two possesions with 11 minutes to go turned into a complete blowout. It felt like Oregon shot 100% for the last five minutes while USC could barely get up a shot. Ducks win 82-61.
4:17: A Ducks 13-0 avalanche to just about lock this game up. Bittle’s defense is lights out, USC has nowhere to go. He’s bothering every single USC layup. Oregon’s Kwame Evans is active in the paint on offense. The three-pointers have became contagious as Oregon now has a 73-53 lead.
7:33: Bittle back in after the timeout. Immediately blocks a shot on the first Trojans possession that then turned into a Ducks three-point make from Jadrian Tracey. Bittle then knocked down a pair of free throws and has been all over the glass. Great stretch from him to give Oregon some breathing room, up 60-51.
11:05: Oregon’s offense looking a little out of sorts without Bittle on the floor. On the defensive end, Oregon hasn’t been able to defend without fouling. Trojans are in the bonus the rest of the way. Dana Altman noticiably mad at Supreme Cook not getting back on defesne after a missed layup and calls timeout following a USC basket to cut the Ducks lead to 52-47.
15:28: USC is only getting offensive production from two players; Deshaun Agee and Chibuzo Agbo. Agee and Agbo have combined for 28 of the Trojans’ 39 points on 10/14 shooting. Meanwhile, Oregon is getting contributions from everyone and has a 48-39 lead.
18:10: Sloppy start with a turnover from each side. Oregon guard Keeshawn Barthelemy hits three pointer get the 2nd half going. Jackson Shelstad follows it up with a layup to give Oregon their biggest lead of the day at 44-34. Trojans’ coach Eric Musselman calls a timeout to stop the bleeding.
End of Half: USC’s Desmond Claude caps off a disastrous first half with multiple missed layups and a tunover leading to easy Oregon points. Ducks head into the break with a 39-34 lead. Eight different Ducks have scored, with Jackson Shelstad leading the way with nine points. Rashuan Agee is the Trojans leading scorer with 15 points.
3:29: TJ Bamba showed out for a couple minutes to help Oregon take a 31-29 lead. Bamba had an and-one layup and on the following Oregon possesion, connected with Nate Bittle on an alley-oop. Agee got back at Bamba on the other end with a vicous and-one slam dunk.
7:20: Ducks defense doing a good job holding USC leading scorer Desmond Claude to scoreless on 0/4 shooting. However, USC is shooting 4/8 from three-point land is the reason they are ahead 25-24.
10:37 Six different Ducks have already scored. Oregon settling down and have stormed back to tie game at 20-20. This was aided by a USC flagrant foul that resulted in a four point Ducks possession. Ra’Heim Moss checked into the game and is now guarding Agee.
16:14: USC gives senior forward Rashaun Agee the start. Agee promptly knocks down his first four shots to give the Trojans a 15-4 lead over Oregon early. Dana Altman has seen enough and calls timeout.
Oregon will be looking to extend their winning streak to five after wins over Northwestern, Rutgers, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Ducks have had a week since their last game. In their last outing, they upset the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers in overtime 77-73. They were down by as many as 17 before staging a 2nd half comeback and sending the game to overtime on a Jackson Shelstad three pointer with seconds remaining in regulation.
The Oregon Ducks are hosting the USC Trojans at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m PT on the Big Ten Network.
The Ducks are 20-8 overall and 9-8 in Big Ten conference play. They appear to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament and now will look to improve their seeding as they prepare for the Big Ten tournament. The Ducks are currently No. 8 in the Big Ten.
USC on the other hand has been reeling. The Trojans have lost four straight games; against Minnesota, Maryland, Rutgers, and Ohio State. The Trojans are 14-14 overall and 6-11 in Big Ten conference play. The only hope for USC and their NCAA Tournament hopes are to make a run in the Big Ten tournament. However, USC could potentially fall out of qualifying for the tournament. They are a half game above Iowa for the 15th and final seed.
Check below for the latest updates throughout the game.
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The USC Trojans have had an up and down season in coach Eric Musselman’s first year. Musselman spoke after their most recent loss to Ohio State earlier this week.
“I mean we stand where our record says we stand. You see where we are in the standings,” Musselman said.
USC is currently in 15th place in the Big Ten out of 18 teams.
“I think every team in this league (The Big Ten) but one has lost three in a row,” Musselman said. “With the way the schedules are going to come out, you’re going to have your ups and downs unless you have superior talent.”