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Five Ducks scored double digits, led by Joseph Young's 20, as Oregon cruised past Concordia, 94-63, in a non-conference tune up at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Cavaliers, an NAIA squad from Portland, never seriously challenged Oregon, and never again held a lead after an early 2-0 lead. Oregon rode a significant athleticism advantage throughout the game, shooting passing lanes and crashing the boards hard. The Ducks had nine steals, seven blocks, and, most impressively, outrebounded Concordia 60-30. The proved crucial. The three ball wasn't falling for the Ducks. At one point they were 1-16 and finished only 5-26 for 19% despite several high quality looks. However, Oregon was able to completely dominate on the inside, shooting 53% overall thanks to many easy inside looks, fast break dunks, and putbacks.
The game got really sloppy, with 16 Oregon turnovers, allowing the Cavaliers to stay within 13-16 for the first half. The Ducks, however, cleaned things up in the second period to quickly stretch the lead and put the game away.
Young scored 20 for Oregon on 10-18 shooting, but his makes were all at the rim or well inside the three point line. He was 0-5 from behind the arc, and still looks very uncomfortable from out there. He was very active with the rest of his game, finishing with eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He had a chance for a bunch more assists if his teammates weren't bricking their three pointers.
Elgin Cook had a nice game, with 19 points on 9-10 shooting and eight rebounds. Most of his shots were of this variety:
.@OregonMBB's first bucket of the game was an emphatic one. Elgin Cook, show us your dunk face: http://t.co/YXvswwytdw
— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) December 4, 2014
Freshman Dillon Brooks continued to look impressive, with 14 points on 6-12 shooting and 11 rebounds. He's not a true four at only 6'6", but may be Oregon's best rebounder until Michael Chandler returns from injury later this month.
Dwayne Benjamin didn't start, but returned from his sprained ankle to play significant minutes. He scored 11 points, but had four turnovers and looked out of control much of the time. Perhaps it was just excitement after being back from a couple of missed games.
Casey Benson also had a nice game, hitting a couple of threes and notching six assists.
The schedule gets more difficult for Oregon, as Ole Miss visits Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday, followed by a trip to Chicago to take on Illinois in the United Center.