The Oregon Ducks were able to once again defeat the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 79-73. Oregon senior guard Joseph Young put on a show as he had a game-high 27 points. At the 4:18 mark in the first half Young only had two points on two made free-throws, but from there on he was unstoppable.

Young went 8-of-15 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. The Ducks were down 36-28 down the stretch in the first half, but they would end the half on a 15-2. All 15 points came from Joseph Young.

Elgin Cook added 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals for the Ducks. Dillon Brooks was very efficient as he scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. As a team Oregon shot 54.7 percent from the field, while going 7-of-19 from behind the arc. They also took advantage at the free throw line going 14-of-18.

Oklahoma State senior Le’Bryan Nash did all he could tonight before he fouled out. Nash went 6-of-11 shooting for 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He was sloppy at times as he turned the ball over seven times, but there was no doubt he was playing hard. Anthony Hickey Jr. did it all tonight as he scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds, and recorded five steals. Hickey was dynamite from behind the arc as he went 5-of-10. The Cowboys sharpshooter Phil Forte III struggled from three as he went 1-of-7, but he did not settle as he ended up with 12 points. Tavarius Shine came off the bench with 12 points while knocking down three three-pointers.

The Ducks led at halftime by a small margin, the Cowboys would come back to take a lead thanks to numerous three-point field goals. Oklahoma State led 62-59 with 10:18 left in regulation. That was when Oregon would go on a run to take the lead and never relinquish it. For the next four minutes and change the Ducks would go on an 11-0 run to lead 70-62. Oklahoma State would cut the lead to one but never was able to regain the lead.

Joseph Young had this to say postgame, “It’s just my teammates trusting me. They found me, got me the ball, set good screens, and I knocked down open shots. But I really commend my team for getting me open.”

The eight-seeded Oregon Ducks will face the number one-seeded Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday with the chance to advance to the Sweet 16.