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The Oregon Ducks kicked off their one-hundred eleventh season of basketball on Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena hosting the Jackson State Tigers. The game marked the official start of the sixth season under Head Coach Dana Altman. In three years Altman has come into Eugene and created magic. Some of his teams struggled at the start of the season and gelled at the end. He has taken his team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his seasons in Eugene and this season the talent is certainly there to make another March Madness push.
The first half would see Tyler Dorsey go off for the Oregon Ducks scoring 14 points in the first 10 minutes. The Ducks would get off to a hot start hitting 70 percent from the floor including 75 percent from beyond the arc. After playing two exhibition games and hitting just three of thirty five 3 point shots, it was a welcomed sight that the Oregon Ducks were finding shots from distance to start the season.
"He really shot the ball well, liked his patience looking for opportunities….I thought defensively we played as well. I thought Chris’s (Boucher)effort gave us a boost.Head Coach Dana Altman’s thoughts on Tyler Dorsey’s 22 point Oregon debut"
Jackson State would come back, but Oregon would still lead by double digits at the half. The Oregon Ducks held the Tigers to just under 40 percent shooting from the field and had four blocked shots and two steals in the first half to go with a monster slam dunk by Dwayne Benjamin. Tyler Dorsey was on his way to a double double for the game with 18 points and 4 rebounds in the first half. Oregon would go to the locker room with the lead 46-30. Dwayne Benjamin would get the crowd on their feet with a long ESPN Top 10 style 3-pointer to end the half leading 46-30.
Altman would again use his bench to the Oregon Ducks advantage in the second half getting some key minutes for players they will look to all season. Dwayne Benjamin and company would hold Jackson State to just five points in the first ten minutes of the second half as the Tigers Field goal percentage would drop below 30 percent for the game. Chris Boucher had two blocks and the Ducks found their hands on several steals in the first part of the second half. Oregon would have 20 points off turnovers and lead by 30 points 65-35 with ten minutes left in the game.
"We did better than last, we’re getting better each day in practice. Everyone is starting to know the offense and not think about it.Dwayne Benjamin on the cohesiveness of the Oregon Ducks Offense"
Overall it was a solid shooting night for Altman’s team. Oregon hit 52 percent from the floor and a much improved 45 percent from three point range. On the night, the Ducks had nine blocked shots to go along with eight steals. The turnover battle was won by Oregon 14-16 which could become an area of concern down the line as the season progresses. The home team saw four players in double figures with Tyler Dorsey leading the way with 20, Dwayne Benjamin with 18, Elgin Cook had 11, and Chris Boucher finished the game with 10 points to go with five rebounds and five blocked shots and two steals.
Next: Oregon Football Recruiting: 2017 QB Commits To Oregon
The Oregon Ducks will welcome a ranked Baylor team to Matthew Knight Arena for a nationally televised ESPN2 game on Monday night. Tipoff is set for 8:30pm Pacific Time.