On Sunday night, the Oregon Ducks opened up Pac-12 play with an impressive win over their in-state rivals, 79-66, against the Oregon State Beavers. After having a six-point deficit at the half, the Ducks were able to build a huge run to take command of the game and held on to win. Damyean Dotson led the way, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds, shot an efficient 8-15 from the field, and made two of the team’s three made 3-pointers.
Jan 06, 2013; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Damyean Dotson (21) goes up to grab an inbounds pass in front of Oregon State Beavers forward Devon Collier (44) during the second half of the game at Gill Coliseum. The Ducks won the game 79-66. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Dotson sparked the second half run, making a shot right after grabbing the rebound on the other end. He made his first 3-point shot with 16:49 left in the second half, that gave the Ducks a 37-36 lead. It was a 15-2 run in all by the Ducks and they would hold the lead until midway through the period when the Beavers took a 47-46 lead. Dotson made another clutch shot to take a 48-47 lead with 10:15 to go, and the Beavers would never have the lead again. He scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half.
All three of Oregon’s 3-point shots were made in the clutch. Johnathan Loyd made the other one to give the Ducks a 46-43 lead. Dotson made his second one to extend the lead to 53-47, and Oregon State would never be within five after that moment. The Ducks never gave up from the perimeter despite going 0-8 in the first half. They went 3-8 in the second half.
The biggest difference in the game came on the defensive rebounds, where Arsalan Kazemi comes through after being injured earlier and leads the team with eight rebounds. Oregon picked up 10 more overall rebounds, eight more on the defensive end, which helped overcome their horrible 3-point shooting percentage.
Oregon now has won three straight games and begins conference play with a win, they now sit 12-2 overall. While the Ducks were unable to break into the top 25 this week, they’ll get their chance by hosting third-ranked Arizona on Thursday night. Tip-off is set at 6:00 p.m. PT and TV coverage will be on ESPN2.
Brian Spaen is the lead editor of Autzen Zoo and Clones Confidential. Follow more Oregon Ducks coverage with the zoo on Twitter.