MBB Recap: Ducks: 75 Trojans: 67

First off, let me just say that USC is a really, REALLY bad team. That said, Oregon took care of business tonight at Matthew Knight Arena and defeated a USC Trojan side, in a game where the outcome never really was in question. Coming off a loss to Washington in Seattle this past Sunday, Oregon started hot out the gates, started 7-0 before a USC timeout. From here on out, the Trojans were left to play catch up. USC managed to get as close as tie the game late in the 2nd half, but as throughout the entire game, Oregon always answered to remain in front.

the 14-6 Ducks held on to beat the 9-8 Trojans tonight in a game that brought them back to .500 in conference play. Joe Young was once again solid for the Ducks, and led all scorers with 19 points to go with 7 rebounds. On this night he became just the 4th player in the program's history to reach 1000 points in his career. Elgin Cook added 15 points on top of 2 steals and 5 rebounds. Dillon Brooks chipped in 12 points, and Jalil Abdul-Bassett had 11 on 3-5 from 3-point land.

Team wise, it was a tale of two halves for the Ducks. In the first half they shot the ball extremely well, going 15-33 on 46%. From beyond the arc they went 7-18 on 39%. In the 2nd half they shot a measly 24% from the field, and 14% from 3. Rebounding was the clear advantage for Oregon tonight, however. They out rebounded the Trojans, 45-37.

For USC, Katin Reinhardt and Julian Jacobs led the way with 16 points apiece. Jordan McLaughlin added 14. Nikola Jovanovic contributed a double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Press Conference: Jalil-Abdul-Bassett spoke about how he felt the margin of victory should have been much bigger. When asked about what improved the most from last game, Dillon Brooks responded, "sharing the ball and talking on D mostly." Dana Altman emphasized his team finding ways to win ball games but wasn't pleased with their 2nd half performance. "We're a work in progress and I've said that from day 1." He also added, "We give up easy baskets, we give other team’s energy, and then we struggle." As for his hopes for his team moving forward, "Theres a lot of room for improvement and we still have time but there’s got to be a sense of urgency."

Oregon next hosts UCLA this Saturday at Matthew Knight.