Oregon was able to hold on for a 69-64 win over No. 8 seed Saint Joseph’s on Sunday night in a West Regional second-round game in Spokane.
The No. 1 seed Ducks (30-6) had two huge 3-pointers from freshman Tyler Dorsey (14 points) and sophomore Dillon Brooks (25 points) and forced a timely late shot-clock violation and late turnover to hold off a hard-fought effort from the Hawks. Elgin Cook also added 18 points for Oregon, as he made two big free throws with under a minute left.
Saint Joseph’s (28-9) was led by DeAndre Bembry, as the junior had 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Hawks also had 11 points from freshman Lamarr Kimble and Aaron Brown and Shavar Newkirk finished with 10 points each. With a chance to tie down by three points with the shot clock turned off, Bembry turned the ball over to seal the Oregon win as Dorsey iced the game with two free throws.
Oregon’s defense did a very nice job of making matters difficult for Saint Joseph’s senior Isaiah Miles. After averaging 18.4 points per game during the season, Miles only finished with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting.
Oregon moves on to face defending champion and No. 4 seed Duke on Thursday night in the West Region. This is the first time all four No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Sweet 16 since 2012.