Ducks advance with 79-73 win over Oklahoma State
OMAHA, Neb. — Guard Joseph Young scored 27 points, and No. 8 seed Oregon outshot No. 9 seed Oklahoma State for a 79-73 victory in Friday’s second round of the NCAA Midwest Regional at Century Link Center Omaha.
Young, the Pac 12 Conference player of the year, scored 23 of 27 points over a stretch to end the first half and begin the second, as Oregon (26-9) shot 54.7 percent from the field.
Forward Le’Bryant Nash scored 18 points to lead four players in double figures for Oklahoma State, which shot 45 percent, including 10-of-29 on 3-poiners.
Alone, Young outscored Oklahoma State 21-13 over a period of 8:39 to help Oregon to a 54-49 lead.
Oklahoma State (18-14) quickly rallied, going ahead 55-54 on a 3-pointer by guard Phil Forte with 14:1 remaining and 58-56 on a 3-pointer by guard Anthony Hickey less than a minute later.
Forte’s jumper pushed the margin to 62-59 with 10:25 to play, but Oregon responded with an 11-0 run to go ahead to stay.
Forward Elgin Cook started the run with four points, with his jumper putting the Ducks ahead 63-62. Forward Dillon Brooks also had four straight points, and forward Dwayne Benjamin finished the run with a steal and dunk for a 70-59 lead.
Oklahoma State countered with seven straight points to pull within one on forward Tavarius Shine’s three-pointer with 4:05 remaining, but that’s as close as the Cowboys got in a game that featured 10 ties and eight lead changes.
Oregon led 43-39 after a first half that featured eight ties and six lead changes.
Young had 17 points to pace the Ducks and made consecutive 3-pointers to spark a run after Oklahoma State, behind 11 points apiece from Nash and Hickey, had taken an eight-point lead with 4:57 remaining.
Young’s third 3-pointer of the first half gave Oregon a 39-38 lead with 1:38 remaining.
The Ducks stretched the lead to four when Oklahoma State, thinking it had a foul to give, purposefully fouled Young with the intent of preventing a field goal attempt in the finals second. Instead, Young made two free throws.
NOTES: Oregon coach Dana Altman, a Wilber, Neb., native, returned to the building where he coached Creighton for 16 seasons. It’s his second time coaching Oregon at Century Link Center in Omaha. His previous appearance was with the Ducks in the finals of the 2011 College Basketball Invitation. … Oklahoma State’s starting five includes three seniors and two juniors who’ve combined to start 359 games at the NCAA Division I level. … Oregon is wearing black patches with the letters D.F. on its uniforms in honor of former university president Dave Frohnmayer, who died March 9 of cancer.
