Oregon Survives Turnovers Over Northern Arizona 83-73

Thanks to sloppy play in their home opener, Oregon found themselves in a battle all night long with turnovers and not taking advantage of all the opportunities at the free throw line. Still, the Ducks were able to hold on and grab the first victory of the season.

Tony Woods led the team with 14 points. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

After a 14-4 run from the 8:32 mark, the Lumberjacks finally took a 67-66 lead in the game with 5:44 to go and after a Ducks timeout. E.J. Singler then came back with two crucial buckets inside the paint to take a 70-66 lead. Oregon would pull away to eventually win the game with a 13-7 run after NAU took the lead.

The scoring was completely balanced among the Ducks’ starting players. Tony Woods led the offense with 14 points and seven rebounds, Singler was producing right with him with 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Daymean Dotson and Dominic Artis reached double-digits with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Both teams combined for 34 turnovers, the Ducks having 18 of them with Artis and backup Waverly Austin having five each. Overmatching the majority of NAU’s players, Oregon was only able to hit 68.8 percent of their free throws (22-32).

The Lumberjacks were able to keep up with the Ducks by keeping up with them in rebounding and impressive play from their guards. Michael Dunn, Gabe Rogers, Stallon Saldivar, and Dewayne Russel from the bench combined for 44 points, 13 assists, 17 rebounds, and five steals.

Oregon’s next game will be against Portland State at 6:30 p.m. PT.

Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Autzen Zoo. See his banter with other FanSided writers and love for his favorite west coast professional teams by following him on Twitter.

Read his other work on the Iowa State blog, Clones Confidential, and Lacrosse the Web.