Ducks Eliminate Wildcats from CBI in Comeback Fashion, 68-59

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EUGENE, Ore. – Joevan Catron scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Oregon men’s basketball team to a comeback 68-59 win over Weber State in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational presented by Zebra Pen at Matthew Knight Arena on Wednesday night.

The effort was the Ducks’ (17-17) senior’s 11th career double-double and his third this season as he finished 6-of-15 from the field and drained a career-best 12-of-13 free throws to pace Oregon in the win.

E.J. Singler also scored in double figures, finishing with 16 points.

The teams got their points in very different ways in the opening 20 minutes. The Ducks enjoyed an 18-8 scoring advantage in the paint while the Wildcats drained 6-of-15 (40 percent) of their three-pointers and held UO without a three-point make (0-of-11) in the first half.

An 11-1 run by Weber State erased an early 9-5 Oregon lead and made it 16-10 seven minutes in. The Ducks countered with a 14-2 spurt of their own and with 3:53 held a 24-18 advantage. Lindsey Hughey capped a 7-0 surge by Weber State with a fade-away jumper to give the Wildcats a 25-24 lead with 57 ticks remaining in the first half. Garrett Sim answered the score with a layup to put Oregon back in front, but Hughey drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to finish the first half with a game-high 10 points and send WSU into the locker room with a 28-26 lead.

A Weber State layup made it 30-26 a minute and a half into the second half. A steal and dunk by Singler pulled Oregon back within two and Sim connected for UO’s first three-pointer of the game with 17:25 to play to put Oregon up 31-30.

The contest was tied at 35 apiece with 13:05 to play before a Catron free throw put the Ducks ahead for good. UO expanded its lead to 53-46 on a pair of free throws by Singler, but a Kyle Bullinger trifecta made it a four-point lead with 5:17 to go. Oregon continued getting to the free throw line down the stretch and connected on 19-of-21 (90.5 percent) second-half free throws to salt the game away.

Oregon shot 55.6 percent in the second half to finish at 41.2 percent from the floor for the game. Weber State was held to 35.6 percent shooting, but connected on 12-of-31 (38.7 percent) three-pointers to stay close throughout. The Ducks made only 3-of-15 (20 percent) from long range, but went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the second half. Oregon edged Weber State on the glass, 36-35, and outscored the Wildcats, 30-16, in the paint.

The Ducks will host Duquesne at Matthew Knight Arena in the CBI quarterfinals on Monday, March 21.