National Basketball Association
Washington St. 74, Oregon 71
When: 11:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 4, 2021
Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Oregon
Officials:
# Gerry Pollard, # Michael Greenstein, # Verne Harris
Attendance:
N/A
By Field Level Media
Isaac Bonton scored 23 points as Washington State held on to defeat Oregon 74-71 Thursday night in Pac-12 play at Eugene, Ore.
It was the Cougars' first victory in nine tries at Matthew Knight Arena, which opened in 2011.
Noah Williams added 14 for Washington State (11-7, 4-7 Pac-12). The Cougars, who won their second game in a row, made nearly as many 3-point field goals (10) as 2-pointers (11).
Eugene Omoruyi led the Ducks (9-4, 4-3) with 21 points before fouling out in the final minute. LJ Figueroa added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Duarte and Amauri Hardy each had 11 points for Oregon while Will Richardson scored 10 in his season debut.
Oregon was playing just its second game since Jan. 9 after the program was shut down twice because of coronavirus concerns. The Ducks' only game during that time was a 75-64 loss to rival Oregon State on Jan. 23 that snapped the Ducks' 28-game home winning streak and knocked them out of the Top 25.
Duarte sustained a right ankle injury early in the second half and didn't return. Duarte, who was named last month to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award's top-10 list, was hurt with 18:09 remaining as his right foot was stepped on by Washington State's Efe Abogidi as they chased a loose ball near the sideline.
Duarte screamed in pain and stayed down on the floor for a couple of minutes before being helped to the locker room without putting any weight on his right leg.
The Ducks were also without Eric Williams Jr., their third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, who has yet to clear COVID-19 protocols.
The score was tied at 36-all when Duarte went down. Two free throws by Omoruyi gave the Ducks their first lead of the game with 17:53 left.
Less than a minute later, Aljaz Kunc made a 3-pointer that gave the Cougars the lead for good.
Richardson was back from a left thumb injury he sustained in practice the week before the opener, leading to surgery. He shot 2 of 9 from the floor but contributed six rebounds and a team-high five assists.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Washington St. |
|
Oregon |
Isaac Bonton 23 |
Scoring |
Eugene Omoruyi 21 |
Isaac Bonton 4 |
Assists |
Will Richardson 5 |
Efe Abogidi 5 |
Rebounds |
LJ Figueroa 11 |
Noah Williams 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Eugene Omoruyi 7 |
Isaac Bonton 3 |
Steals |
Eugene Omoruyi 2 |
Andrej Jakimovski 1 |
Blocks |
Franck Kepnang 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Washington St.
|
74 |
42.9 |
10-22 |
22-31 |
14 |
23 |
1 |
5 |
15 |
Oregon
|
71 |
43.6 |
5-17 |
18-22 |
12 |
34 |
3 |
6 |
16 |