Ducks edge Utes with incredible finish

by DSH contributor Eric Sloat

All season, as the wins mounted, Coach Altman stressed that the Ducks still needed to get better; that the offense that had carried them through could falter and the defense would have to stand up. Well, that’s exactly what happened in the conference opener against Utah.

 The Ducks and Utes both came in to the game, boasting potent offenses, Oregon 1^st, Utah 4^th, in the country. But what would ensue was a defensive battle, down to the very end. Oregon would get the first basket of the game, but for the next 52 minutes they would be hard to come by.  The Ducks would open up going 1-11 from the field, mixing in errant 3’s with an assortment of missed lay-ups.  Utah started out much better, but in answer to Altman’s concern, the defense for the Ducks held the Utes in check. Oregon was down by 4 at the half 32-28.

  It didn’t start out much better for the Ducks in the 2^nd half, with Utah building a 10 point lead, the biggest of the game, two minutes in.  But, the Ducks kept contact with the Utes, finally taking off on a 10-2 run  of their own to knot the score at 47,  just about midway  through the 2^nd half.  A rare lay-up by the Ducks gave them their first lead since the start at 49-47.  The lead would go back and forth, each team trying to sew it up. Finally, Utah’s Jordan Loveridge had a chance to win it for the Utes, but his shot missed, an d the game was headed to overtime.

 Certainly it was good for the Ducks that the game would go on, but the situation clearly favored the home team, intent on taking down the 10^th ranked visitors in front of their fans.  All through the game, the Ducks had missed lay-ups, but the OT added a bizarre touch. Following up his second missed free throw, Elgin Cook powered the ball through the rim. But somehow, instead of going through the net, the ball shot back up, and was rebounded by Utah, keeping the score tied at 64. Both teams scored 4 more, and it was knotted at 68, with seconds to play. There cannot be a more desperate feeling than having the other team with the ball, seconds going by. Oregon couldn’t foul now. Utah had the dagger in its hand. But with about 4 seconds left, Dameyan Dotson did a basketball version of “The Pick”, and raced down the court with the ball and slammed it home, Oregon 70-Utah 68. Game over! Not quite. With Oregon disarrayed, an inbounds pass was heaved to Loveridge, alone at the three point line. Perhaps John Loyd, rushing past him created just enough breeze to send the shot off the mark, making Loveridge 0-2 in potential game winning shots.

 With sub 40% shooting, and uncharacteristic turnovers, this game fit the mold of an “Ugly win”. But  I can’t describe it that way. That works for a game, where a team that didn’t deserve it, somehow lucked into the victory, and has an embarrassed smirk afterwards. That was definitely not the case here. As it showed at Ole Miss, and home against BYU, this Ducks team never stops playing. The situation with the shots not falling, Joseph Young having his first poor game of the season, on the road, all together could have ended up very badly. But the Ducks fought their way through it, showing great discipline and resolve that will certainly benefit them going forward.