 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Frederick Jones erased 39 minutes of futility with one shot. Jones scored just four points but made a driving layup with 2.8 seconds remaining to lift second-seeded Oregon to a 72-70 victory over No. 6 Texas in the Midwest Region semifinals. The Ducks have one of the most potent offenses in the nation led by Jones, Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour. Jackson and Ridnour combined for 45 points, but Jones was held scoreless in the first half and had just one basket entering the final minute. The Longhorns never led but rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to tie it with 12 minutes left. They forged their third tie, 70-70, after James Thomas made a layup with 23 seconds remaining. Thomas was fouled on the shot but missed the free throw and Oregon (26-8) took advantage. Jones took the inbounds pass and let the clock run down before driving into the left side of the lane and hitting the go-ahead layup. "I knew that we were going to need a big play and I'm just happy that I could be in a position to try to make a play and kind of redeem myself," said Jones, who was 2-of-6 from the floor. "My overall game was terrible. I didn't hold up my end of the sticks today." "Freddie is good at that," Oregon center Chris Christofferson said. "He's just an unbelievable player. He can sit back and relax and wait for his opportunity. He's just an awesome player." Freshman T.J. Ford missed a runner as time expired for Texas (22-12), which fell to 1-5 all-time against the Ducks. Jackson scored 17 of his 25 points in the first half and dished out a season-high eight assists. Ridnour scored 20 points and sank 4-of-9 3-pointers as Oregon shot 54 percent (31-of-57), including 6-of-18 from beyond the arc. "They've been doing that all year long," Jones said. "They've carried us a whole lot of games this year. They've made big play after big play in every single game we've played this year. They make big shots all the time. They did a really good job of keeping us close." The Ducks will face top-seeded Kansas in the regional final on Sunday. Oregon scored the final eight points of the first half, capped by Jackson's 3-pointer at the buzzer, which provided a 41-28 halftime cushion. The Ducks had a 51-38 advantage with 15:45 remaining before the Longhorns scored 13 consecutive points. Brian Boddicker sank three 3-pointers during the burst and tied it at 51-51 with a shot from beyond the arc with 12:09 to go. "Even at halftime, there was no doubt in my mind we were going to come back," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "They kept their composure and came right back at us," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. "In the second half, they made a great run and it was just another classic battle for us. It came down the stretch with Freddie making that huge, huge play." Jackson and Ridnour made consecutive baskets to reclaim the lead for Oregon. After a basket by Texas' Deginald Erskin, Ridnour sank a 3-pointer and Jackson made a fast-break layup for a 60-53 edge with 9:33 left. The Ducks had a 68-64 lead with 4:19 to go after Jackson made a bank shot, but Boddicker sank a pair of free throws and Ford added two more to tie it, 68-68 with 78 seconds to go. Ridnour sank a jumper from just inside the top of the key 20 seconds later. Ford committed a turnover on Texas' next possession, but James Davis missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for Oregon with 34 seconds to play. Thomas forged the game's final tie 21 seconds later and finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Boddicker collected 13 points and eight rebounds for the Longhorns, who had a 41-19 edge on the glass. Texas scored 19 second-chance points off 19 offensive rebounds. |
|
||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
