Oregon
Oregon delivers largest comeback win of the year over the Cal
Facing a confident California Golden Bears team coming off a historic comeback win vs the Colorado Buffaloes, the Oregon Ducks showed resilience in their 80-73 victory Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks struggled straight from the tip, as they couldn’t get anything going early on. Cal came out of the gates hot, hitting seemingly every shot they put up, while on the other side of the floor turning the faucet off for the Ducks. Midway through the half, Cal went on a 13-3 run and extended their lead to 18 points.
Facing its largest deficit of the season, Oregon made quick adjustments to get back into the game. It closed the half on a 16-2 run in the final three and a half minutes and trimmed the deficit to just four points going into the half. This late first-half surge was led by Oregon guard Jermaine Couisnard, as he went 4-for-5 from three, with a couple of those capping off the half. He finished the game as Oregon’s leading scorer, with 18 points in 34 minutes.
In addition to the offensive surge, it was the defensive effort that brought the Ducks back into the game. It was apparent that Oregon head coach Dana Altman told his team to bump up their aggression and intensity level. This led to a full-court press that bothered Cal’s guards bringing up the ball, as well as a tight point-of-attack defense in the halfcourt.
The Ducks were able to carry their late half momentum into the second half, and contain the Golden Bears offense, finishing the game out with their defense.
Limiting California’s “Big three”
Surely Oregon’s main focus heading into this game was how they were going to contain the Golden Bears’ three best players: Jaylon Tyson, Jalen Cone, and Fardaws Aimaq.
Tyson is currently leading the Pac-12 in scoring, averaging over 20 points per game. Tonight, while he still got to that number, scoring exactly 20 points, it didn’t come easy.
Tyson got some good looks to start the game, but once the Ducks made their defensive adjustments. They forced their point-of-attack defense to focus on him. Doing so made him take the ball out of his hands and make other players try to beat them, which ended up working in the Ducks’ favor.
Baskets became limited for Tyson specifically in the second half, as he shot only 3-of-13 from the field.
Cone, his backcourt running mate, is leading the conference in 3-point attempts and is second in the country with 10 three-point attempts per game.
On Saturday, he was limited to 1-of-8 from three, which was a credit to Oregon’s perimeter defense and ability to switch over the screens that were set for him, making each look he had tough.
California’s center, Aimaq, certainly had two distinct halves. To start the game, he seemingly had his way with whatever he wanted. Despite Oregon’s center Mahamadou Diawara playing strong defense on him, he was getting good looks inside of the paint and finishing with ease. He finished the first half with 14 points. In the second half, he was bottled up entirely, scoring only four points.
How did N’Faly Dante look in his return?
After returning from a successful knee surgery, N’Faly Dante played his first minutes after missing the last 14 games. With both his injury and his teammate Nate Bittle‘s injury, Oregon has been forced to play a version of small ball these last few weeks.
In doing so, the Ducks have found success, as their record reflects that being now 13-3 and 5-0 in conference play.
Dante played a total of 17 minutes in his return where he came off the bench. While the numbers he put up weren’t anything eye-catching, his presence was felt immediately on the court. Oregon tried to get him going right away with a couple of low post touches, but his first basket came from an emphatic dunk off of a baseline out-of-bounds play. He finished with eight points, four of which came from mid-range jump shots which looked smooth.
Defensively Dante looked strong, protecting the rim with a volleyball-like spike block into the crowd. It was clear that he is still getting his legs back, he caught himself with his hands on his knees winded from the fast-paced gameplay. He will likely see his minutes increase game by game until he gets back to his normal rotation.
Next up
The Ducks will now travel to Boulder, Co. to face a hungry Buffaloes team that is coming off their third loss in a row. Headlined by top-five projected lottery pick Cody Williams, the Buffs will look to spoil Oregon’s perfect conference record.
Oregon
Lake scores 16, Oregon State knocks off Montana State 67-57
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Josiah Lake’s 16 points helped Oregon State defeat Montana State 67-57 on Saturday.
Lake had eight rebounds and six assists for the Beavers (6-5). Dez White added 12 points while shooting 4 for 11, including 2 for 7 from beyond the arc while he also had five rebounds. Isaiah Sy shot 4 for 8, including 3 for 7 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points.
The Bobcats (4-7) were led in scoring by Patrick McMahon, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Jeremiah Davis added nine points for Montana State.
Oregon State used a 10-2 run in the second half to build a 10-point lead at 63-53 with 2:02 left in the half before finishing off the win.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Oregon
How Oregon’s Defense Ranks Compared To James Madison
While the No. 5 Oregon Ducks offense has been the glue of the team’s success this season, their defense has also played a pivotal role in helping them earn a spot in the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive year.
Entering their first-round home playoff matchup against the No. 12 James Madison Dukes, Oregon aims to capitalize on defense, which is crucial in their goal of making a run at its first National Championship in program history. Oregon enters the playoff as one of the highest-ranked at-large teams behind the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Where Does Oregon’s Defense Stack Up Against James Madison, CFP Field?
Despite the Ducks being an overwhelming 21.5-point favorite over James Madison, according to ESPN BET Sportsbook, the first-round playoff matchup in Eugene will be a battle between two dominant defenses.
James Madison is second in the country in total defense behind Ohio State, allowing 247.6 yards per game. The Ducks’ defense is ranked No. 4 in total defense, allowing 251.6 yards per game.
Oregon’s defense has several contributors who have led the team under defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi this season, including Matayo Uiagalelei and A’Mauri Washington up front on the defensive line. Bryce Boettcher and Teitum Tuioti have also been dominant players at linebacker this season for the Ducks.
Boettcher leads the Ducks with 103 total tackles, one interception, and one sack this season. Dillon Thieneman, Brandon Finney Jr., and Aaron Flowers have been key contributors in the secondary with four interceptions combined.
MORE: Weather Concerns Begin For Oregon’s Playoff Game vs. James Madison
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When it comes to scoring defense, the Ducks are ranked No. 6 among the other 12 playoff teams, allowing 14.8 points per game.
The five playoff teams that rank above the Ducks in scoring defense include No. 2 Ohio State (8.2), No. 1 Indiana (10.8), No. 4 Texas Tech (10.9), No. 10 Miami (13.8), and No. 8 Oklahoma (13.9). Oregon’s first round opponent, James Madison, is ranked one spot below the Ducks at No. 7 in scoring defense, allowing 15.9 points per game.
Oregon’s Defense Strengths and Weaknesses
If the Ducks beat James Madison in the first round of the playoff, they’ll face the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders in the CFP Quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. A potential matchup between the Red Raiders and the Ducks in the Orange Bowl could come down to whichever defense performs better. While Oregon’s pass defense has been dominant throughout the season, its rush defense could jeopardize the Ducks’ quest for a championship.
The Ducks rank No. 8 among playoff teams in rushing defense, allowing 107.3 yards per game. Texas Tech ranks No. 1, allowing 68.5 yards per game. The Red Raiders’ rush defense’s ability to shut down Oregon’s dominant running back trio of Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison, and Dierre Hill Jr. will be one of the biggest keys in a potential Orange Bowl matchup.
It’ll be interesting to see how Oregon’s defense holds up against a talented James Madison offense that will have a chip on its shoulder as a massive underdog. The Dukes’ offense, led by quarterback Alonza Barnett III and star running back Wayne Knight, will challenge Oregon’s defense early on, but expect the Ducks to win convincingly.
Oregon will host James Madison at Autzen Stadium to open up the CFP on Dec. 20, with the kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT. The game broadcast will be on TNT, HBO Max, and truTV.
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Oregon
Longtime Oregon lawmaker repeatedly broke ethics laws to secure hefty raise, commission finds
Longtime Republican lawmaker Greg Smith broke Oregon ethics laws when he used his office to try to secure a $109,000 raise for his work as executive director of an eastern Oregon economic development agency, then maneuvered to get a $66,000 pay hike and make it retroactive, the Oregon ethics commission concluded Friday.
In a unanimous vote, commissioners endorsed an investigator’s finding that Smith, the longtime executive director of the federally funded Columbia Development Authority, repeatedly failed to declare a conflict of interest and used the power of his office for personal financial gain.
Smith got his salary raised from $129,000 to $195,000 without his bosses’ authorization and directed the employee in charge of his agency’s finances that the pay hike be made retroactive to April 2024, the investigator found. When the development authority board learned of Smith’s misrepresentations, it voted in September of that year to rescind the raise, records show. But he has not repaid it, ethics commission investigator Casey Fenstermacher wrote in her report dated Thursday.
Smith now has the option to request a hearing on his case before an administrative law judge or to work with the ethics agency to reach a settlement, including any fine or other punishment. He did not take part in Friday’s hearing nor did he respond to a request for comment left with his legislative chief of staff Friday afternoon.
Staffers at the Oregon Government Ethics Commission will formally propose a settlement with Smith, including financial penalties, by early January, commission director Susan Myers told The Oregonian/OregonLive Friday. The maximum fine her agency can propose is $10,000, she said, but the nine-member state ethics commission could vote to authorize a higher penalty.
The ethics commission did just that in 2018 when it rejected an agency proposal to fine former Gov. John Kitzhaber $1,000 for ethics violations that allowed his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, to secure lucrative consulting contracts during her time as first lady. Commissioners instead proposed a $50,000 fine and ultimately struck a deal with the four-term governor to pay $25,000.
Smith, who holds a key role on the Legislature’s powerful budget-writing committee, was elected in 2024 to a 13th term in the House, making him its longest serving member.
The ethics commission dinged him earlier this year for failing to disclose a key client of his consulting business on his required annual financial disclosure form. That client, Harney County, had paid him $7,000 a month to represent its interests at the Legislature.
In that case, Smith acknowledged the omission in his filing and later amended it. The commission closed that case, as it has other cases or incomplete financial filings, by issuing Smith a formal letter of education, Myers said.
According to the Salem Reporter, Smith is also under investigation in two other state ethics proceedings. Investigators are examining whether Smith broke the law when he claimed pay for working for the development authority at the same time he was performing private consulting work or working as a state legislator, the Salem newsroom reported.
The Columbia Development Authority, based in Boardman, is made up of several eastern Oregon governmental entities including the Port of Morrow and is in charge of redeveloping a former military base.
Once the ethics commission formally notifies Smith of its proposed settlement and his right to request a hearing, he will have 21 days to decide which option to pursue, Myers said. Nearly 99% of officials presented with that option choose to pursue a settlement, she said.
The commission normally takes into account both aggravating factors, such as the size of the financial windfall and whether the official repeatedly broke the law, and mitigating factors, such as whether an official acted on the advice of a government lawyer or quickly paid restitution, Myers said.
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