Oregon 79 Arizona 77

Aaron Brooks hit a running jump shot between two defenders, with two seconds left, to lead the Oregon Ducks to a 79-77 over the Arizona Wildcats in an exciting Pac-10 basketball game.

It was a well played game with few turnovers, sparked by both teams point guards as Brooks finished with 21 points, 6 assists, and just one turnover. Arizona guard Mustafa Shakur had a nearly identical line with 21 points, five assists, and two turnovers. For the game, the Ducks finished with 9 and the Wildcats with 10, a testament to the smart, in control nature of much of the game, when both teams could never manage to stake more than a six point lead.

Wildcat forward Marcus Williams was actually the big scorer for the game, with 34 points on 11 for 20 shooting plus a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line, snaring 12 rebounds in the game.

For the Ducks, Bryce Taylor also tallied 21, Malik Hairston with 18, and Maarty Leunen with 14 for the bulk of the Ducks offense. Leunen also led the way defensively with 14 rebounds and two blocked shots, one critical one late when the Ducks were trailing by one.


The one aspect that doomed the Wildcats was their inability to defend the Ducks on the three point line. In the second half, the Ducks hit five of six on wide open looks, most of them early on, to stretch the Wildcat defense and allow a bit more movement inside. For the game, the Ducks finished shooting a more than respectable 50% on 13-26.


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