EUGENE, Ore. — Joseph Young scored 16 points and Elgin Cook hit two clinching free throws with 9.3 seconds left to give Oregon a 59-56 victory over Arizona State on Saturday.
Cook added 14 points for the Ducks (12-4, 2-1 Pac-12), who won for the seventh time in eight games coming off Thursday night’s 18-point loss to No. 7 Arizona.
Shaquielle McKissic led the Sun Devils (8-8, 0-3), who share the Pac-12 cellar with Washington, with 18 points and Eric Jacobsen had 13.
McKissic had two chances to tie the score in the final seconds, but he missed two free throws with 11.6 seconds left and Oregon leading 57-55, then his step-back 3-point try at the buzzer from the left wing was short.
Oregon’s Jordan Bell tied a 30-year-old school record set by Blair Rasmussen with eight blocked shots, giving him 59 in 16 games in his freshman season.
Bell’s rebound basket with 1:48 to play tied the score for the 12th and final time at 55-55, then Cook’s steal led Bell’s go-ahead, fast-break layup with 1:08 left put the Ducks ahead for good. Cook then hit two free throws to make it 59-55.
ASU’s Tra Holder was fouled on a drive with 5.7 seconds left but missed the second free throw. The Sun Devils kept possession when the rebound went off Oregon on the baseline, but McKissic couldn’t connect on his 3 from the left wing.
Neither team found anything close to an offensive rhythm in the first half. The Sun Devils missed 10 of their first 16 shots and had five turnovers in the first 12 minutes yet still held a 14-12 lead.
The Ducks, meanwhile, were even more inept, with more turnovers (nine) than field-goal attempts (eight) at that point.
After trailing by six, Oregon didn’t stir its home crowd of 5,637 to life until Bell finished a fast break with a rousing dunk to cut ASU’s lead to 20-19. When Dwayne Benjamin scored on a put back on the Ducks’ next possession with 2:45 before the half, it was their first offensive rebound of the game.
Elgin Cook’s layup with less than a second left gave Oregon a 25-23 halftime lead.
TIP-INS
Arizona State: The Sun Devils, who open the Pac-12 season with five of their first seven games on the road, have now lost 14 consecutive games away from their home court. Four of those losses were at neutral sites. ASU’s last road win came at California on Jan. 29, 2014.
Oregon: The Ducks finished their longest home stand of the season with their sixth win in seven games and second in three Pac-12 contests to open the conference season. With just six home games left, Oregon’s attendance is down nearly 2,000 from last year’s average of 7,782.
UP NEXT
Arizona State hosts Utah on Thursday night.
Oregon plays at Washington State on Thursday night.
