Eugene, OR – In the 394th and final official matchup in conference play, long-time Pac-12 schools Oregon and Oregon State took the floor at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon took control of the game in the second half, coming away with a 78-71 victory and the 750th career win for Coach Dana Altman. Five Ducks scored in doubles figures with Kwame Evans Jr. scoring a team high 22 points Wednesday night with 8,365 in attendance.
Oregon State’s Jordan Pope came off an electric performance at Stanford last weekend scoring 30 points, on 10-for-17 from the field. He continued his stellar shooting in the first half against the Ducks, hitting on out 7-of-8 attempts to score 15 first half points. The Beavers developed an early 24-18 lead midway through the opening half as they took advantage of six Oregon turnovers during that stretch.
The Ducks responded with a 12-2 run led by Brennan Rigbsy, who contributed 6 of the 12 points during the run. The 6-3 shooting guard was a starter early in the season and was asked to play a different role as of late coming off the bench. He played key minutes throughout the game, displaying his shooting stroke from the perimeter while also showing he can play above the rim with two monstrous dunks. In 27 minutes, he shot 4-for-6 shooting and nailed two 3-pointers to tally 14 points with a plus 11 on the floor. Oregon went into the half leading 35-33.
The second half began with Oregon State’s Tyler Bilodeau, a 6’9” sophomore, keeping the Beavers within reach with his ability to knock down outside shots as a stretch 4. He was very much in the zone, scoring 20 of his game high 26 points in the second half. Bilodeau was highly efficient shooting 10-of-14 on field goals, hitting 2-of-3 on 3s, and added eight rebounds. His teammate Pope was slowed down for much of the second half but still finished with 22 points (10-of-19 FG) and five assists.
The freshman duo of Jackson Shelstad and Evans Jr., who were both highly touted prospects coming out of high school, had strong performances. Shelstad, a local prospect, used his fast-paced play to put pressure on the Beavers defense, while creating opportunities for his teammates off the bounce. The point guard had 11 points (4-of-9 FG), four rebounds, and three assists. Evans Jr. impacted the game for the Ducks at both ends of the floor. The 6’9”, 220 pound future NBA prospect, used his length, skill and high basketball IQ to lead the way with 22 points (6-for-7 FG), going 9-for-12 from the strike, with six rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
In the final eight minutes after Oregon State cut the lead 59-57, Jermaine Couisnard, who struggled in the first half shooting the ball due to settling for 3s, began to attack the hoop. He scored on three buckets around the basket and drew fouls, getting him to the free line. He hit on 7-of-8 attempts, scoring 16 points (4-for-13 FG) and dished out six assists for the Ducks. Evans Jr. sealed the win for Oregon with and-1 floater in the paint to give Oregon a 11-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. A key factor in the win for Oregon was getting to the free throw line going 23-for-32, while the Beavers made all eight of their attempts.
Oregon (19-9, 11-6) is ranked 62nd in the latest net rankings putting them just off the bubble of a tourney bid. They have a huge opportunity for a marquee win, when they travel to face Arizona (22-6, 13-4) on March 2nd. Oregon State (12-17, 4-14) will look for a bounce back win against Utah (16-11, 7-9) as they return home to finish out the regular season against the mountain schools.
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 apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.
