The Oregon Ducks were looking to make the most of their 2012 NIT Tournament berth facing the LSU Tigers in the first round at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, OR. And behind a well rounded performance they certainly got the attention of the rest of the bracket with their 96-76 victory Tuesday night, advancing them to the second round of the tourney.
The Ducks used a 24-4 run midway through the first half to gain themselves a sizable they never would relinquish, led by Devoe Joseph's 25 points and six assists, while Garrett Sim added 15 points and Tony Woods matched his career-high with 14. Afterwards, Joseph noted they key to the game for Oregon:
"We sped them up and played our style of game," Joseph said. "Both teams were trying to adjust, and we got into the flow of the game a little faster than they did."
Justin Hamilton had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the way for the Tigers, playing in their first postseason game since reaching the NCAA Final Four in 2006. Ralston Turner added 14 points as well, but they couldn't overcome the potent Duck attack, shooting only 40 percent form the field compared to Oregon's 58 percent.
Oregon now faces off against the Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday, March 18 from Matthew Knight Arena at 2:00 p.m PT, with coverage on ESPNU.
For more on the Ducks, head over to Addicted to Quack.
