Los Angeles -- After coming off an exciting game against Washington State in which the Cougars' Klay Thompson scored a Pac-10 Tournament record 43 points, the Washington Huskies this time clamped down defensively against the Oregon Ducks to pull away late, 69-51.
Oregon, which shot impressively in their upset win against second-seeded UCLA, was not able to match that performance, shooting only 32% for the game. This was largely due to Washington's use of an active 2-3 zone, which forced the Ducks into taking errant outside shots. Oregon would make only 4 of 24 three-point attempts the entire night.
Soon after halftime, Washington sprinted out to a 39-25 lead. However, Oregon slowly closed the gap primarily because of the play of their only effective big man, Senior Jaevon Katron.
Oregon made a concerted effort to get Katron the ball inside and he was able to produce even when double-teamed. His play opened up opportunities for his teammates, as they started to penetrate the zone and get to the rim successfully. Katron would finish with 18 points and 9 rebounds on the night.
As a result, Oregon cut the deficit to 44-40 with 9:43 left in the game. At that point however, Washington’s clutch point guard Isaiah Thomas (10 points, 12 assists) answered the Ducks' charge with a three-pointer late in the shot clock.
Not only did Thomas' bucket seem to halt Oregon’s momentum, but it also sparked a decisive 17-7 Washington run, capped off by C.J. Wilcox’s 4-point play.
In all likelihood, this win cemented Washington’s spot in the NCAA Tournament field. Given the Huskies athleticism, talent, and experience gained from last season's Sweet 16 performance, Washington is poised for a deep tournament run.
BOX SCORE
By Christian Siagian
Contributing Writer for TheDailySportsHerald.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
We encourage all intelligent, passionate comments. Please refrain from any ignorant, racist, or offensive rants.