Oregon State
Oregon
Beavers Fall to Ducks In Civil War
February 16, 2014 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. - Roberto Nelson scored 18 points and Eric Moreland tallied a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Oregon State couldn't overcome a big first half deficit, falling 93-83 to Oregon on Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena in the 341st Civil War, presented by Pacific-Source Health Plans, The Oregon 529 College Savings Network, McDonalds, Wells Fargo Bank and Your Local Ford Stores.
The Beavers still split the season series against the Ducks after defeating them 80-72 on Jan. 19 at Gill Coliseum.
Oregon (16-8, 4-8 Pac-12) was lights out from downtown in the first half, hitting 9-of-14 attempts from deep, which helped prop the Ducks to a 19-point lead midway through the opening frame.
Oregon State (13-11, 5-7) would fight back, cutting the lead to 45-35 at the half and eventually coming within a mere two points twice in the second half. The Beavers, however, were unable to get over the hump, as Oregon was able to control the lead for nearly the entire contest.
"You can't beat teams in this league when you give them a 19-point head start at home," Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. "What was disappointing was that we came out with less energy than they did. They really came out with a purpose in mind that they were going to get a lot of shots off and they did. That gave them confidence and then we got dejected."
The Beavers were able to outscore Oregon in the paint, 34-22, largely in in part to Moreland commanding attention inside. The big man was a catalyst for Oregon State, going 8-for-10 from the floor and grabbing rebounds at both ends of the court. His performance also marked his 20th career double-double and fifth this season.
Nelson went 7-of-15 from the field and grabbed two boards for the Beavers.
Hallice Cooke came on strong in the second stanza, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes of play. The New Jersey native also dished out four assists and pulled in three rebounds.
Oregon was led by Joseph Young, who tallied 25 points, four rebounds and four assists. Mike Moser and Damyean Dotson also played well, each scoring 15 points for the Ducks.
Nelson drilled his first shot of the afternoon at the 16-minute mark of the first frame, bringing Oregon State within one, 11-10. Oregon would then march out on a 17-0 run that propped the Ducks to a 28-10 lead with 12 minutes left in the half.
Langston Morris-Walker nailed a three to cut the Oregon lead to 34-25, then Nelson nabbed a steal and took it coast-to-coast to bring the Beavers within seven with just five minutes remaining.
The Ducks would take a 45-35 lead going into the locker room behind a dominant perimeter shooting performance in the first half. Oregon converted on 9-of-13 shots from beyond the arc and also took advantage of a 15-5 points off turnovers differential, which helped maintain their lead for the majority of the first stanza.
Oregon State was able to bang the ball inside during the first frame, outscoring the Ducks 16-6 in the paint.
The Beavers brought it to within six after Brandt dropped in a layup under the hoop at the 19-minute mark. After a steal on the defensive end, Nelson found Moreland streaking down floor, who converted a lay-in to make it 47-43.
Oregon State pulled within four, 60-56, after Brandt finished at the rim with a lay-in at the 10:20 mark.
Brandt found Malcolm Duvivier rushing down floor, hitting him with a deep full court pass. Duvivier finished with a big slam amidst a pair of Oregon defenders, cutting into the Ducks edge, 63-58, with 9:02 left to play.
With just over 8 minutes remaining, Brandt got a hoop and harm to drop and cashed in the free throw to push Beavers within two, 63-61.
Cooke brought the Beavers within two again at 5:11, hitting two shots from the stripe to bring the score to 72-70.
Cooke would come up big again at the 2:34 mark hitting a three that cut the Ducks advantage to 79-73.
Despite the Beavers late push, Oregon would retain its lead and hold on to split the Civil War season series at home.
Oregon State returns home to Gill Coliseum on Thursday to take on the Washington State Cougars at 6 p.m. PT in a game televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
