The Oregon Ducks (3-0) came into a Tuesday night bout with the Portland Pilots (1-2) looking to build on the momentum they sparked in Friday night's massacre of the Montana Grizzlies. The Pilots, meanwhile, attempted to bounce back from a 41-point loss to UC Santa Barbara at home this past Saturday.
Oregon started strong defensively, forcing some long possessions with two shot clock violations by the Pilots through the first five minutes.
Stout defense from Oregon helped it keep the lead but the offense struggled to get going early on. The Ducks shot just 37 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3 through the first 10 minutes. But Portland’s even worse 33 percent from the field and 14 percent from distance gave Oregon some room for error.
With just over four minutes in the half things started to unravel for the Ducks offensively. More missed open 3s and a miscommunication turnover from Jadrian Tracey and Kwame Evans Jr. sparked an 8-0 run for Portland. The Pilots bench started to hum with energy watching their team hold a lead over the Ducks.
Out of yet another Oregon timeout, Portland big man Austin Rapp drilled a deep 3-pointer to put Portland up 31-22, effectively firing up the Portland sideline and quieting the Oregon crowd.
By halftime, the Pilots led 31-23 with all the momentum, finishing the first half on a 15-6 point run. Oregon shot 9-for-33 from the field and 4-for-17 from downtown to Portland’s 12-for-28 from the field and 5-for-14 from deep.
“Lot of selfish play,” said head coach Dana Altman. “I thought the first half was a lot of bad shots, we got a few good looks that didn't go in… All the hustle plays [Portland] was making, I’m really disappointed in our team preparation that's on me.”
Oregon’s offense gained some steam out of the locker room but the defense got lackluster. With 13 minutes left to play Portland scored on four straight possessions that consisted of three made 3s from the frontcourt duo of Jermaine Ballisager-Webb and Rapp, putting the Pilots ahead 46-37.
At this point in the game, the Ducks found plenty of opportunity to get back in contention but could not capitalize. Five straight bricks gave Portland a chance to pile on the score, a transition basket from Todd Jones and two free-throws from Delano Vincent gave Portland a 50-39 point lead as it felt like all the life had been sucked out of the Oregon sideline.
With 5:40 remaining Portland guard Vukasin Masic banked in a straight-away 3 to keep the Pilots lead at 10, timeout Ducks.
During that timeout, Altman’s squad geared up for one final push. Back-up point guard Keeshawn Barthelemy put in back-to-back 3s and a deep two-point shot to cut Portland’s lead to just four with two minutes left, a perimeter shooting boost the Ducks desperately needed.
Portland responded with a layup and Oregon guard Raheem Moss turned the ball over on the following possession, putting Portland in control up by six with exactly 60 seconds on the game clock.
Brandon Angel buried two free throws to cut the lead to four, during which Altman subbed in TJ Bamba for a quicker defensive look in hope of creating a deflection or turnover.
Bamba was fouled on the following Oregon inbound pass and stepped to the line for two huge free throws. He missed his first off-the-back iron and drilled the second to cut it to a three-point Pilot lead.
Portland hit two free throws on the next possession to make it a five-point game. The late-game hero Barthelemy then hit a catch-and-shoot three on the left wing to make it a two-point game with 29.9 left.
“He gave us a big boost,” said Altman. “He and [Tracey] really gave us a big boost, the couple 3s that he hit and the two really gave us that boost. We needed something there… He and [Tracey] brought us back.”
Barthelemy purposefully fouled Rapp with 27.1 on the clock, giving the Pilots a chance to beat them at the free-throw line. Rapp missed both foul shots and Oregon stormed down the floor with a chance to tie or take the lead. Tracey hesitated and dove through the lane for an Oregon layup that tied the score at 67 a piece. Portland’s Delano Vincent flew down the court and missed what would have been a game-winning floater. It was off to overtime at Matthew Knight Arena.
Oregon’s fans had Matthew Knight Arena rocking in overtime, and the Ducks felt it. Oregon opened overtime on a 7-0 run fueled by Tracey and Jackson Shelstad, who combined to score five of those seven points and led the Ducks on both sides of the floor throughout bonus play.
The shock of blowing a late-game lead, and a fired-up Duck defense proved too much to overcome for the Pilots, who only scored a total of three points in the overtime period.
Oregon roared back and stole this game from the Pilots, a 21-5 run starting with one minute left to play in regulation saved the Ducks from embarrassment on their home floor. Bartheley’s 11 points in the final four minutes put a Superman cape on his back and gave the Ducks the shooting lift they had been looking for.
“Obviously it feels good,” said Barthelemy after the game. “I hadn't been shooting the ball well at all… Probably the worst in my career to be honest… The shooting in the end was good but I got to be able to bring more to the team on defense.”
Next up on the schedule for Oregon is a Sunday matinee matchup with the Troy Trojans at Matthew Knight Arena.