Oregon’s coach Dana Altman believes that freshman Dillon Brooks has both talent and instincts, though he needs to be more consistent. “When Dillon is on, he’s a handful

The 6’6” freshman forward from Ontario Canada, Dillon Brooks gave a glimpse of what he can do when he is consistent. Brooks scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting and helped Oregon rally to beat Illinois, 77-70, on Saturday night.

Brooks had this to say after the game, “Coach always told me to put the time in the gym before and after practice and he said it will come easier. I did that, and I guess it’s paying off right now.

Coach Altman said that this was the best game they have played so far this season. Oregon’s three losses thus far have come against VCU, Ole Miss, and a very unstable Michigan team.

The Ducks used a 11-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a seven-point lead with a little under 1:30 left to play in the game. The Fighting Illini went scoreless for 4:34 during that span.

Joseph Young (15 points) and Dwayne Benjamin (13 points) also played a huge role in the Ducks' victory. Both combined for a total of 28 points.

Illinois' Rayvonte Rice tied his career high with 29 points for Illinois, who led by as many as 13 at one point but would eventually fall to 35-13 all-time at the Madhouse on Madison.

Illinois coach John Groce commented afterwards, “Obviously, we need more balance with our scoring. We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well.”

Freshman sensation Brooks made two costless throws for a 73-67 Oregon lead with roughly 1:10 left to play. But the senior guard Rayvonte Rice nailed a three with 44 seconds remaining to cut Oregon’s lead to three.

However, Oregon’s Ahmaad Rorie sealed the deal for the Ducks when he hit a jumper with 12 seconds left for a 75-70 lead.

The Fighting Illini’s Aaron Cosby missed a three pointer with four seconds remaining before Rorie made a layup for the final score.

Illini coach John Groce said that his guys fouled way too many perimeter shooters, which in turn gave the Ducks eight costless throws. Oregon was nearly perfect from the charity stripe last night, shooting 12-of-15, good for 80 percent.

Despite the loss, Groce had no anger about the play of the offense, as he said that he believes his team played the best offensive game this season and was really happy in what he saw. Groce, however, was disappointed in the defensive play, as the Illini let the Ducks shoot 46.2 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three-point range, and 80 percent from the charity stripe. 

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Christian Hansen
Covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and their minor league affiliates