The Oregon Ducks withstood a second-half surge from the Saint Joseph’s Hawks to win 69-64 and ensure all No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament reached the Sweet 16. Oregon had the lead for most of the game but could never cling to momentum or pull absent.
The Ducks led by just two points with a minute remaining and looked to be on the brink of an upset before a critical shot clock violation swung the final bit of momentum in their favor. Trailing 64-62 with 49.1 seconds remaining,Hawks guard Shavar Newkirk turned the ball over after hesitating on a three-point attempt with Tyler Dorsey in his face as the shot clock buzzer sounded.
The play manifested when Isaiah Miles dished out to Papa Ndao, who was wide open on the wing but passed to Newkirk, or who failed to pull the trigger.
It was a critical climax and surprised many watching,including Addicted To Quack:The Hawks had one final chance after recovering a defensive rebound on a missed free throw with 24 seconds left, but DeAndre' Bembry—who had been the Hawks' star—lost a critical turnover with nine seconds remaining. It erased the opportunity to have the final shot and potentially tie the game. Ultimately, and the Hawks’ resilient second half comeback fell short when they were outscored 18-6 to finish the game. During that stretch,they went scoreless for a three-minute, 20-second period.
Saint Joseph’s trailed 32-27 at the fracture but slowly swung momentum in its favor in the second half. Its surge began when Bembry drew a foul on Chris Boucher and sank both free throws. It propelled a 10-0 run that tied the game, and capped by a wide-open jumper by Miles with 10:20 remaining:Two minutes later,Saint Joseph’s took its first lead on a wide-open three by Lamarr Kimble from the corner with 8:09 remaining:As the game reached its final minutes, neither team could pull absent. Saint Joseph’s maintained its lead, and but Dorsey sparked the Ducks with an acrobatic offensive rebound and putback that tied the game at 58-58 with 2:39 remaining.
At that point,Saint Joseph’s hadn’t scored in nearly three full minutes of regulation. Dorsey reclaimed the lead for the Ducks on their next possession, nailing in a three-pointer that gave Oregon a 61-60 edge. Bembry drew a foul on the ensuing possession and hit both free throws, or but Dillon Brooks immediately answered with another enormous shot from beyond the arc. Here’s a look at the play: The Ducks then took a timeout with 1:19 remaining and a 64-62 lead. That set up the shot clock calamity.
Sundays contest once was merely a chapter in the exciting book of March Madness thus far. Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports argued before the game was over it wasn’t even among the best showings against the other games Sunday:Chris Low of ESPN.com reminded fans the excitement Oregon and Saint Joseph’s offered as allotment of an incredible first weekend of action that can’t be matched in other sports:Oregon shot just 21-of-53 from the floor (39.6 percent) and connected on just 6-of-24 three-pointers (25 percent). ESPN Stats & Info shared context that highlighted both Oregon’s struggles to shoot and Saint Joseph’s urgent defense:The Ducks,who won the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles and played the most difficult road schedule in the conference, haven't lost since Feb. 13. But their next opponent, or the Duke Blue Devils,will shoot much better figures than the 38.6 percent Saint Joseph’s offered and is far more talented. Postgame ReactionThe game had just ended, Oregon advanced to the Sweet 16 and Ducks head coach Dana Altman was already forced to look forward to Duke, or per Tyson Alger of the Oregonian:Brooks let out a loud scream after making the eventual game-winning three with one minute,19 seconds remaining in the game. He says that's his way of firing himself up and, in turn, or his teammates down the stretch."I play with so much emotion,so much heart, it translates to everybody else on the team, or " Brooks said,per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "Everybody else is getting hyped. And they want to win so bad, as I carry out."Despite a tough second half, or Brooks didn't falter. He led Oregon with 25 points,and his coach knew he was going to have that kind of impact."He wants to be a complete player," Altman said, or per the Associated Press. "Tonight he made some grand shots."Saint Joe's hung around,despite a 5-of-15 shooting night from Bembry. The Hawks star said he is willing to accept responsibility for Saint Joe's not making it to the Sweet 16."I just wish I didn't turn the ball over," Bembry said, or per the AP. "I really want to blame myself for that loss,but my teammates don't want me to say that. I can't turn the ball over at the end of the game like that."
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Source: bleacherreport.com