Oregon Survives OT, Tops No. 2 Seed ASU 79-75

Poor free throw shooting and an Arizona State 18-3 run to start the second half nearly doomed Oregon on Friday night. But starting with 4:35 to go, the Ducks initiated a 10-3 run to tie the game at 67.

Payton Pritchard scored four points and assisted on the two three pointers Oregon needed to tie the game at 67. Pritchard finished with 18 points and eight assists.

Both teams traded missed buckets in the final 1:31 to send the game to Overtime.

Oregon opened the extra session with an 9-1 run. With 3:13 to go, ASU Head Coach Bobby Hurley called timeout. However, it didn’t matter the team had already started to implode.

Arizona State started overtime hitting one of two free throws and then turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions. Oregon led 76-68 before ASU made their run.

The Sun Devils pushed within four, when Hurley took his final timeout of overtime.

Up 78-72 with 58 seconds to go, Oregon fouled Rob Edwards shooting a three. The ASU guard hit all three free throws.

Pritchard drove the Ducks back down court and nearly cost the Ducks with a questionable shot attempt, but the Sun Devils couldn’t make Oregon pay.

With 18 seconds left, Luguentz Dort missed a wide-open three at the top of the arc for the tie. Oregon got the rebound, and Louis King was fouled with 8.8 seconds to go.

King hit one of two free throws. Even though King missed, Pritchard grabbed the offensive rebound and sealed the win for Oregon, 79-75.

With the win, Oregon battles Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game tomorrow night. We’ll have that game through Westwood One on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. with pregame coverage, tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

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