Oregon dashes Winthrop’s big dreams
Any hopes of tiny Winthrop making a Cinderella run through the NCAA tournament were shot down Sunday afternoon.
Shot down from long range.
Oregon blew past the underdog Eagles with a barrage of jump shots and three-point baskets, winning this Midwest Regional second-round game, 75-61, at Spokane Arena.
Guard Aaron Brooks led the Ducks with 22 points and backcourt-mate Tajuan Porter had 14. Between them, they made nine of 17 shots from three-point range.
“We’re a guard-oriented team,” Porter said. “We know when to take our threes.”
The third-seeded Ducks now travel to St. Louis to face seventh-seeded Nevada Las Vegas in the Sweet 16.
The secret to their success has not been complicated this season: When shots fall from outside, they win.
“We ran into a very hot team,” Winthrop Coach Gregg Marshall said. “Especially two hot guards who played very well and shot it from deep.”
Oregon (28-7) began to take control in the final minutes of the first half, going on a 10-2 run fueled by three-pointers from Brooks and Bryce Taylor.
The hot streak continued into the start of the second half, thanks to the smallest man on the court.
Porter, who is listed at 5 feet 6 but might be even shorter, came out firing from long range, making one jumper after another.
When the dust settled, Oregon led by 11 points. Meanwhile, 11th-seeded Winthrop (29-5) continued to struggle against Oregon’s scrambling, switching defense.
The Ducks forced bad shots time and again, making things particularly tough on Winthrop center Craig Bradshaw.
Bradshaw never found space to move near the basket, managing only six shots and finishing with 10 points.
Shooting 39% from the field, Winthrop could not find a way to come back.
“When the magic carpet [ride] comes to an end,” Marshall said, “it ends rather abruptly.”
