Joseph Young led the Oregon Ducks to victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Friday night. (Getty)
Final Score
Oregon 43-36–79
Oklahoma State 39-34–73
Eighth seeded Oregon had 27 points from Pac-12 Player of the Year Joseph Young to beat ninth seeded Oklahoma State.
Young scored 15 straight points at the end of the first half to give the Ducks the lead going into the half. He continued to impose his will in the second half, finishing with four rebounds, four assists, and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line to lead the Ducks to the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday and a 26-9 record.
Anthony Hickey Jr. made five three pointers for Oklahoma State, finishing with 17 points and five steals, and Le’Bryan Nash added 18 points. Although Nash was the leading scorer for the Cowboys, he also had seven turnovers, a contributing factor to Oklahoma State’s losing effort.
Oregon will play the winner of top-seeded Wisconsin and 16th seeded Coastal Carolina on Sunday.
Click here for the box score.
Live Game Updates
Second Half Highlights
-Oregon broke out with an 11-0 run mid-way in the second half to take a lead they never gave up
-Joseph Young continued to dominate the game, bringing the house down with a thunderous dunk:
– Oklahoma State kept the game close through 10 made three pointers, including five from Anthony Hickey Jr.
First Half Highlights
-Joseph Young took over for Oregon, scoring 15 straight points for the Ducks to end the half
-Teams dominated from the free throw line, combining for 13-for-15 shooting
-Fast pace fueled the first half:
#Big12Insider If they wanted to experiment with a 30-second shot clock, this Oklahoma State-Oregon game would be a test case. #Big12MBB
-This game is tightly contested for many reasons:
Oregon/Oklahoma State are battling for a round of 32 game and a highlighter endorsement deal.
Leading Scorers
Oregon
– Joseph Young: 27 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
– Elgin Cook: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
– Dillon Brooks: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Oklahoma State
– Le’Bryan Nash: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
– Anthony Hickey Jr: 17 points, 5 steals, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
– Taravius Shine: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Game Preview
Oregon is back in the NCAA tournament as an eight seed after finishing third in the Pac-12 and getting all the way to the Pac-12 Conference championship game, knocking off NCAA tournament foe Utah, before losing to Arizona. The Ducks are led by Pac-12 player of the Year Joseph Young, who averaged 20.2 points per game in the regular season, and have one of the best offenses in the nation, scoring 75.6 points per game. Oregon made the NCAA tournament in 2013-2014, beating BYU in the second round as a seven seed before bowing out to West Region champion Wisconsin in the third round. The Ducks blew a 12 point halftime lead in the game with Wisconsin and look to make a greater impact in the 2015 tournament.
Oklahoma State has been up and down this season, finishing 18-13 and seventh in the Big 12, but played 14 games against 2015 NCAA tournament teams with all but one against a team seeded fifth or higher. Oklahoma State was an at-large bid after losing five of their last six games and losing to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference tournament quarterfinals. Oklahoma State is led by the backcourt tandem of Le’Bryan Nash and Phil Forte III; Nash has scored 17.1 points per game this season and Forte III averages 15.1 points per game. Oklahoma State was in the 2013-2014 NCAA Tournament field as a nine seed as well, losing to Gonzaga in the second round.