By TIM BOOTH
Oregon watched the rest of its conference get kicked out of the NCAA Tournament and faced a seven-point deficit with five minutes to play with the rest of the country watching to see if the Ducks were about to be the first No. 1 seed to be sent home.
Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey refused to see the Ducks, and to a lesser degree the Pac-12 Conference, wiped out from the NCAAs on the opening weekend.
“I play with so much emotion, so much heart, it translates to everybody else on the team,” Brooks said. “Everybody else is getting hyped. And they want to win so bad, as I do.”
Brooks carried Oregon with 25 points, Dorsey hit key shots in the closing minutes and the Ducks advanced to the regional semifinals with a 69-64 win over No. 8 seed Saint Joseph’s in the second round of the West Regional on Sunday night.
Oregon (29-6) was carrying the banner for the rest of the Pac-12 after the conference posted a collective dud. Five teams were sent home in the first round and Utah was routed by 11th-seeded Gonzaga in the round of 32, leaving the Ducks as the lone conference representative.
And they were tested by the Hawks, rallying from down 58-51 in the final five minutes to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. Brooks started the rally with a driving three-point play and put Oregon in front for good on a 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining.
Just another big night for Oregon’s do-everything sophomore.
“He wants to be a complete player,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “Tonight he made some big shots.”
Saint Joseph’s was on the verge of a stunning upset that seemed unlikely when the Hawks trailed by 10 early in the second half. DeAndre’ Bembry led the Hawks (28-8) with 16 points, but the Atlantic 10 tournament champs saw their postseason run ended in part because of two ugly offensive possessions in the final minute.
First was a shot clock violation with 49 seconds left when the Hawks simply passed too much and failed to get off a shot. That was followed by Bembry losing control of the ball trying to get open for a potential tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining after Oregon’s Casey Benson split a pair of free throws.
Dorsey was fouled in the ensuing dogpile and made two free throws with 9.8 seconds for the final margin.
“I just wish I didn’t turn the ball over,” Bembry said. “I really want to blame myself for that loss, but my teammates don’t want me to say that. I can’t turn the ball over at the end of the game like that.”
While Brooks was the star for the Ducks, Dorsey was in a key supporting role. The freshman scored five straight points late, first following Elgin Cook’s miss with 2:38 left, then hitting an open 3-pointer that gave Oregon a 61-60 lead with 1:53 remaining. Dorsey finished with 14 points and along with Brooks were the only two Oregon players to hit 3-pointers.
Cook added 18 points and Oregon won its 10th straight game.
“It was just there. It was a great swing (pass) and nobody was there. They didn’t pick me up,” Dorsey said.
Lamarr Kimble added 11 points off the bench for SJU after combining to score 11 points in the previous three games. He was the catalyst for a 23-6 run that erased a 10-point Oregon lead and gave the Hawks a 58-51 advantage with 5:30 left after he scored.
But a combination of foul trouble and Oregon’s defense shut down St. Joe’s Aaron Brown and Isaiah Miles. Brown finished with 10 points and Miles was held to eight points, the first time all season he failed to score in double figures. Miles had the game-winning 3-pointer in the Hawks’ dramatic first-round win over Cincinnati.
“Look, the last couple of minutes it was a little bit of a moment,” Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli said. “It was just a little bit of a moment.”
WEST COAST REPS
Oregon’s win meant two teams from the West Coast advanced to the Sweet 16. Gonzaga, an 11-seed in the Midwest Regional, is the other. Last year four teams from the West reached the regional semifinals.
TIP INS
Saint Joseph’s: The Hawks last reached the Sweet 16 in 2004 when they made the regional final. … Bembry, a junior, added 12 rebounds in what may be his final college game if he opts to jump to the NBA.
Oregon: The Ducks matched a school record with its 30th victory. … Cook, Dorsey and Brooks combined to score 32 of Oregon’s 37 points in the second half.
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph’s: Season over.
Oregon: Will face No. 4 seed Duke in the regional semifinals on Thursday.