SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Oregon 80, Oregon St. 59
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 4, 2017
Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon
Officials: # Chris Rasatter, # Michael Greenstein, # Deidre Carr
Attendance: 9201

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The sixth conference championship in Oregon history marked the first back-to-back titles for the Ducks.

Junior forward Dillon Brooks scored 25 points as sixth-ranked Oregon clinched a share of the Pac-12 championship on Saturday afternoon with an 80-59 win over Oregon State at Gill Coliseum.

Junior guard Casey Benson scored 14 points for the Ducks (27-4), who tied Arizona for first at 16-2 after winning an outright championship last year. The Ducks will once again be the top seed in the conference tournament next week in Las Vegas.

"Conference championships are important when you have a school that has only won five of them," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "To be able to win back-to-back, I think the guys will realize the significance of that when they bring their kids back some day.

"Right now, it is not that big of a deal, but 10 years from now when they look at the banners, they will realize conference championships are hard."

Before last year, Oregon's only conference titles were in 1919, 1939, 1945, and 2002.

"You have to soak it up for sure, just enjoy it," Benson said. "It has only happened six times in 80 years or something so when you put it in perspective like that, it is unreal. With all the good teams in the conference, knowing we won it the last two years is special."

Junior forward Jordan Bell added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks, who made 18 of 26 shots from the field in the second half while outscoring the Beavers 48-35. Senior center Chris Boucher scored 12 points.

"They came out with more energy in the first half than we did, but in the second half we realized the game was slipping and we had to pick it up," Bell said.

Sophomore forward Drew Eubanks scored 21 points to lead the Beavers (5-26), who finished 1-17 in conference play. Sophomore guard Stephen Thompson Jr. added 10 points.

"It was a tough second half for us," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. "We battled in the first half but did not shoot well. In the second half, we ran out of gas and gave up 69 percent shooting."

Oregon took a 32-24 lead at halftime before Bell opened the second half with a jumper and Brooks scored to push the lead to 36-24. Oregon State closed within 41-30 when Eubanks scored, but Oregon scored the next 12 points.

Guard Payton Pritchard made a 3-pointer and Benson scored before Bell dunked. Brooks added a basket before Benson hit a 3-pointer that put Oregon ahead 53-30.

Brooks opened the game with a drive and dunk before Bell made a free throw for Oregon. Brooks followed with a 3-pointer before Oregon State scored on a bucket from center Gligorije Rakocevic.

Thompson made a 3-pointer for Oregon State before Brooks made another jumper. Eubanks had back-to-back dunks to put the Beavers ahead 9-8 before guard JaQuori McLaughlin added a basket for the Beavers.

Benson converted a three-point play for Oregon and Brooks tied the score at 13 before making a three-point play that put the Ducks up 16-13 with 11:47 to play. Benson followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to put Oregon up 22-13.

Oregon State followed with nine in a row to tie the score as Rakocevic scored and McLaughlin made a 3-pointer before Rakocevic hit two free throws.

Eubanks tied the score at 22 on a layup before Bell scored four in a row to put Oregon back into the lead.

Boucher made a free throw and guard Dylan Ennis hit a 3-pointer before Bell made two free throws to cap a 10-0 run that put the Ducks up 32-22.

McLaughlin capped the first half with a basket for the Beavers.

NOTES: Oregon F Dillon Brooks was one of 15 players placed on the final ballot for the Wooden Award given to the top player in the nation. ... Oregon set a school record with 16 conference wins and became the 12th team to finish 16-2 in the Pac-12 since the conference expanded its schedule to 18 games in 1978. Only seven teams have finished better at 17-1. ... Oregon State became the seventh school to finish 1-17 in conference play. ... Oregon State's Tres Tinkle missed his 25th straight game with a broken wrist and is expected to seek a medical redshirt for the season. ... Oregon coach Dana Altman won his 181st game in seven seasons to move into third place on the list of winningest coaches in school history.
Top Game Performances
 
Oregon   Oregon St.
Dillon Brooks 25 Scoring Drew Eubanks 21
Payton Pritchard 6 Assists Jaquori McLaughlin 4
Jordan Bell 10 Rebounds Drew Eubanks 12
Kavell Bigby-Williams 4 Free Throws Made Drew Eubanks 5
Jordan Bell 2 Steals Drew Eubanks 1
Chris Boucher 4 Blocks Drew Eubanks 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Oregon 80 51.8 8-22 14-21 18 34 9 6 8
Oregon St. 59 34.3 6-27 7-7 12 34 3 4 12