Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots overcame a 14-point second half deficit to force overtime, but the Oregon Ducks held on for a historic 79-76 victory Saturday night at McArthur Court. The Pilots had two shots at the buzzer to win, first in regulation and then in overtime, but neither dropped as Oregon claimed its 700th win at ‘The Pit’.

 

In a sloppy game that featured 48 combined turnovers – 26 by the Pilots – Portland showed resilience and used a 22-8 run over a seven-minute stint midway through the second half to erase a 14-point margin and tie the game at 62-62 with 4:17 remaining. Junior guard Nik Raivio’s three-pointer capped the run and the Pilots (5-5) took their first lead of the period when junior forward Robin Smeulders converted a layup with 3:22 remaining for a 64-63 edge.

 

There were four ties and five lead changes in the final four minutes, but Portland seemed to have control of the game when junior point guard T.J. Campbell drilled a corner three-pointer for a 70-69 edge with 46 seconds left. Oregon’s Joevan Catron made 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game with 14 seconds left and Campbell had a shot rim off at the buzzer of regulation.

 

Portland grabbed a 76-73 edge early in overtime as Smeulders made a free throw with 2:10 left, but the Pilots would be held scoreless for the remainder of the period. Churchill Odia tipped in his own miss to cut the deficit to one point with 1:03 left and after a Smeulders offensive rebound, the Ducks (5-5) forced a 5-second call as Portland was unable to inbound the ball following a timeout. Junior point guard Tajuan Porter then hit a tough runner to give UO a 77-76 lead with 29 ticks left.

 

Out of another timeout, Portland ran the clock down before Raivio had to force up a difficult jumper in the lane with two seconds on the clock. Catron collected the rebound and was fouled with 0.7 seconds left and made both free throws to conclude the scoring as Portland was unable to get a shot off before time expired.

 

Raivio finished with a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Jared Stohl added a career-high 21 points. Campbell finished with 17 as the three-guards combined for 61 of Portland’s 76 points.

 

Freshman Garrett Sim paced four Duck players in double figures with 14 points. LeKendric Longmire had 13, Porter 12 and freshman center Michael Dunigan added 11.

 

Portland shot 47 percent from the field and Oregon finished at 51 percent. The Ducks gained a 30-18 advantage in points off of turnovers.

 

Oregon led by as many as 12 points in the first half as UP committed 13 turnovers in the period. A three by Stohl made it a three-point deficit, but Sim drilled a corner trey to give the Ducks a 38-31 halftime advantage.

 

Portland will return to the Chiles Center and host Howard University of Monday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Berkeley, Calif. to take part in the Golden Bear Classic. The Pilots will face Air Force on Dec. 27 and then either Cal or Dartmouth on Dec. 28.