INDIANAPOLIS —Eugene Omoruyi and Chris Duarte were superlative for Oregon, but the Ducks otherwise struggled with USC's mix of length on defense and hot three-point shooting in an 82-68 loss to the Trojans on Sunday in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
The Ducks (21-7) trailed by 15 at halftime and as many as 21 in the second half before rallying back within nine. But ultimately the deficit was too much to overcome, despite 28 points and 10 rebounds from Omoruyi and 21 points from Duarte.
"Our ball movement against the zone that first half was not good," UO coach Dana Altman said. "I let the guys down; I didn't have 'em ready for that zone. I thought I did. But their length and athleticism really bothered us.
How It Happened: Oregon got off to a solid start with Omoruyi scoring the first five points of the game, and Duarte and Will Richardson making back-to-back three-pointers for a 13-9 lead. Eric Williams Jr. made a putback for Oregon's last lead at 17-16, but that came amid a 10-2 run by USC that included two three-pointers as their shots started to fall.
After Duarte ended a 1-of-7 shooting funk with a jumper to get the Ducks within 21-19, Oregon missed its next seven attempts and USC mounted a 12-0 run. That spurt included two more three-pointers, as the Trojans went 5-of-9 from deep in the half to upend Oregon's defensive game plan. The Ducks, meanwhile, shot 10-of-33 in the half, including 3-of-12 from three-point range.
"Their length really bothered us," Omoruyi said. "It got us off-track a bit. We just didn't compete in the first half. We should have come out more aggressive."
Two early threes by the Trojans in the second half pushed the lead to 52-32, before a 7-0 run got the Ducks within 52-39. Yet another three-pointer got USC's lead back to 20 at 69-49 with 8:52 left, when Oregon began its last surge. The Trojans went the next 5:30 without scoring, as the Ducks put together a 12-0 run. Franck Kepnang was on the floor for the Ducks during the run; Altman said Kepnang's lack of previous experience against a zone kept the UO coach from giving him more minutes earlier in the game, a decision Altman was second-guessing afterward.
For as encouraging as the run was, it included some critical empty possessions, including an attempt alley-oop from Duarte that LJ Figueroa couldn't finish. The Ducks got as close as 69-60 before USC regained its rhythm, scoring on its final six possessions to become the third Pac-12 team to advance to this year's Elite Eight.
Who Stood Out: Omoruyi scored his 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting, and his 10 rebounds included seven on the offensive end. Duarte had 21 points along with five rebounds, six assists and three steals. Oregon's other three starters combined to shoot 5-of-27, including 1-of-10 from three-point range. Kepnang matched his career high with eight points to finish as the Ducks' third-leading scorer.
What It Means: The Ducks won the Pac-12 regular-season title for the fourth time in the last six years, and were one of just three teams — along with Gonzaga and Michigan — to reach the Sweet Sixteen in four of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
"I told them, one game doesn't define us," Altman said. "We had a nice year. We did a lot of good things. I loved the guys' perseverance; it was a tough year, a tough year on everybody."
Notable: Omoruyi scored in double figures for the 26th time in 28 games on the season. … His 28 points were sixth-most in UO single-game NCAA Tournament history. … Duarte had 44 points and 13 assists against just three turnovers in this year's tournament. … Oregon was a season-best 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) from the free-throw line. … The Ducks committed 12 or fewer turnovers in 13 of their last 14 games.
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March 29, 2021 at 11:59AM
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Late Rally Comes Up Short In Defeat - GoDucks.com
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