No. 16 USC Spoils Oregon's Senior Night in 70-69 Slugfest

In a closely contested game, the Ducks fail to convert on the final possession.

Author:
Joe Zochert
Publish date:
Feb 27, 2022 1:21 AM EST

First Half

Quincy Guerrier set the defensive tone on the Ducks' first defensive play by taking a charge from Isaiah Mobley. The game was scoreless until 18:38 when Jacob Young soared in for a sweet finger-roll layup in transition.

Drew Peterson got USC's first points on a broken play — the first of his 11 first-half points. A couple of plays later, Boogie Ellis got the first three-point shot of the game after missing his first two shots to give the Trojans their first lead of the game at 7-4.

Guerrier showed again why he is the heart and soul of the team by grabbing his own miss then he threw down a one-handed dunk to pump up the crowd. The junior finished the first half with 9 points and 6 rebounds.

Reese Dixon-Waters gave USC back the lead with a three to make it 17-15. Then it looked like the Ducks were good to make a run as Mobley picked up his second foul going for an offensive rebound against N'Faly Dante.

Even without their best player, the Trojans went on an 11-0 run. Eric Williams Jr. had two spectacular alley-oops which propelled the Ducks back into the game offensively as they struggled to connect from three. They shot 2-11 from beyond the arc in the first half.

On the defensive end, Dante was the catalyst as he disrupted multiple shots and blocked off passing lanes. He also contributed 4 points and 6 rebounds in the first half.

Oregon pole-vaulted back in front after trailing 31-19, finishing the first half on a 13-0 run. The Ducks knocked down some free throws at the end of the half by Jacob Young and Guerrier to give them the lead. It wasn’t the prettiest half for the Ducks as they escaped to intermission with a 32-31 lead over the Trojans.

Will Richardson was quiet in the first half as he had only two points off of free throws. He wasn’t aggressive as he didn’t shoot his first shot until there was 9:32 left in the first half.

Rivaldo Soares

Eric Williams Jr.

Second Half

The second half started with both teams trading buckets. Mobley reappeared after having foul trouble in the first half, but Guerrier made his layup attempt disappear with a jaw-dropping block. Peterson continued to use his size as he knocked down a mid-range shot to give them the 35-34 edge.

After USC maintained a lead throughout the early second half, Rivaldo Soares knotted the game up again at 59-59 with a jumper. Then he made the huge defensive play as he drew a charge on Dixon-Waters to foul him out of the game.

With the game still tied and with two seconds left on the shot clock, Young knocked down a long distance three-pointer which made Matthew Knight Arena erupt as the Ducks took a 64-61 lead. The crowd was heard again the very next play as Guerrier was called for a foul on Mobley while shooting a three. The junior missed the first but sank the next two to make it 63-64.

After trading baskets, the Trojans pulled in front as Mobley made a layup to take the one-point lead. He finished the game with 17 points — all in the second half.

It was then Guerrier, who played hero by sinking his second three-pointer to give them the 69-67 lead with 25 seconds remaining. He finished the game with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

USC’s Peterson then dribbled the ball up to the right side of the floor then non-chalantly knocked down the cold-blooded three to take the 70-69 lead with 11.5 left. To take the lead for Oregon, Young drove in for a layup, but Mobley swatted it out of bounds with 4.8 left.

The final play of the game was broken as Richardson's potential game-winning layup clanked off the backboard. Richardson also failed to register a field goal for the second time this year. It was a polar opposite performance from the first meeting between Oregon and USC when he dropped 28 points.

Oregon's final two regular season games are Thursday at Washington and Saturday at Washington State.

Senior Night

After the game, Oregon fans said goodbye to their three seniors — Will Richardson, Jacob Young and Eric Williams Jr.

Richardson spent all four years of his eligibility in Eugene. Williams Jr. has spent two seasons for the Ducks since transferring from Duquesne. Young is wrapping up his lone season for Oregon after transferring from Rutgers.

Each player was gifted decorative jerseys and basketballs for their time with the Ducks. Even with the loss tonight, all three had great seasons and had a great time with Oregon no matter how long they were in Eugene. It’s like they say, “Once a Duck, always a Duck.”