Oregon uses big 2nd-half run, beats Fresno State 68-61
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – Kenny Wooten scored eight of his 13 points as part of a big run in the second half and Oregon pulled away to beat Fresno State 68-61 on Saturday night, ending the Bulldogs’ seven-game winning streak.
Elijah Brown had 20 points and five rebounds, Troy Brown added 13 points and seven rebounds and Payton Pritchard scored 12 points for the Ducks (9-3), who have won four straight.
The Ducks’ comeback was in stark contrast to how they played earlier in their first true road game of the season.
Oregon shot 29.4 percent in the first half and had no rhythm to its offense before Elijah Brown made a pair of 3-pointers coming out of the break.
The Ducks still trailed 51-42 with just over 11 minutes left to play before Wooten and the two Browns sparked a 22-1 run that put the Ducks in control.
Wooten scored six consecutive points during the burst, including an alley-oop dunk on a pass from Elijah Brown. Troy Brown followed with a 3-pointer that made it 64-52.
Elijah Brown finished 6 of 10 with four 3-pointers to help the Ducks beat the Bulldogs for the third consecutive year.
Jahmel Taylor had 19 points with five 3-pointers while Deshon Taylor also scored 19 for Fresno State. The Bulldogs (9-3) lost for the first time since back-to-back defeats to Arkansas and Evansville in November.
Oregon was out of sync on both ends of the court for much of the first half. The Ducks missed 17 of their first 23 shots, struggled to get the ball inside and were repeatedly late defending Fresno State’s perimeter shooting.
The Bulldogs went 5 of 9 beyond the arc before halftime, including a pair of 3s from Jahmel Taylor, the second coming as part of an 11-2 run that put Fresno State up 38-28 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon: It was a tale of two distinctly different halves for coach Dana Altman’s team. The shooting problems (29.4 percent) in the first half put the Ducks in a hole they had trouble getting out of but the two Browns and Wooten got the offense going after that. Not the prettiest of wins but they found a way to overcome the ugliness and that’s a positive.
Fresno State: The Bulldogs had the Ducks on the ropes but couldn’t finish the job. Now coach Rodney Terry’s team will have to do something it hasn’t done in a while, which is try to bounce back from a loss.
UP NEXT
Oregon: Returns to Eugene and will host Central Arkansas on Wednesday.
Fresno State: Host Cal State-Monterey on Monday.
