Ducks decimate Pac-12 leading Dawgs, 82-57

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Oregon got the bounce-back game it was looking for Thursday night.

That it came at home and against Washington was even better.

The Ducks never trailed and led by as many as 27 points en route to a resounding 82-57 victory.

Reserve Carlos Emory scored 16 points, and Garrett Sim, E.J. Singler and Devoe Joseph added 13 apiece for the Ducks (17-7, 8-4 Pac-12), who moved into a three-way tied for third in the conference, one game behind Washington (16-8, 9-3) and California.

The Ducks came into the game off a one-point loss at Colorado on a free throw with 1 second left, the result of a controversial foul on Singler.

"We needed a game like (this)," Singler said. "We just wanted to come out and play with a lot of passion. I thought playing with a lot of passion, a lot of enthusiasm, really sparked us."

Oregon players said all week they weren't going to dwell on the loss, especially with Washington coming to town. They proved it.

"Our guys were really disappointed after that Colorado game," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "I thought they bounced back really well."

Tony Wroten scored 14 points to lead Washington, which had won five straight and eight of nine. C.J. Wilcox added 10. Terrence Ross, who was averaging 15.2, was held to eight points.

Wroten and Ross combined to shoot just 8 for 22 from the field, while the Huskies as a team made just 2 of 16 3-pointers and 7 of 18 free throws while shooting 36.4 percent overall.

Washington could never solve Oregon's trapping defense in the first half and struggled to get to the basket, settling for outside shots instead.

"We were able to take away some of their strengths," Altman said.

Oregon couldn't have scripted a better first half. The Ducks shot 64.3 percent, including 6 for 8 from 3-point range, and scored 12 points off just seven Washington turnovers to take a 49-26 lead at the break.

Sim was the catalyst, scoring 13 points in the first 8:24, including the first eight points of the game on a jumper and back-to-back 3s. His third 3-pointer put the Ducks up 24-13 with 11:38 to play in the half.

"He was a little disappointed with the way he shot the ball the last couple of games," Altman said. "He's been shooting it good in practice. Garrett's a competitor. . He got a couple good looks there, knocked them down, and that fires anybody up."

Then it was Singler's turn. With Oregon up 30-19, the junior forward sparked a 13-0 run with nine points to make it 43-19 with 2:40 remaining before halftime.

The Huskies could get no closer than 20 points in the second half en route to their worst loss of the season.

The Ducks shot 56.4 percent. Emory led the way, making 7 of 8 to continue his sudden emergence as a go-to scorer. He is averaging 10.8 points over his last four games after averaging just 3.7 points in his first 20.

"He's playing better and better," Altman said. "He's picking up things. He'd been turning the ball over a little bit. I thought he really handled it better tonight."

Oregon also outrebounded the Pac-12's rebounding leaders 39-38. Singler and Emory had eight boards each.

POSTGAME NOTES

- Oregon improved to 12-3 in home games … UO is 13-3 this year when leading at the half … Oregon is 12-2 this year when holding opponents below 70 points … Ducks are 13-1 when having more assists than the opponent … UO improved to 15-1 this year when shooting for a better percentage.

- The Ducks opened the game on an 8-0 run and out-scored UW 21-10 over the first seven minutes of action.

- Oregon (17-7, 8-4) moves into a three-way tie with Colorado and Arizona for third place in the Pac-12.  The loss drops Washington into a tie for first with California at 9-3. 
- Oregon never trailed in the ball game leading by as many as 27 and shooting 56% from the field.  The Ducks are now 4-0 when shooting above 50%.
- The Ducks led 49-26 at halftime. They are now 13-3 when leading at the half. 
Oregon’s 49 points in the first half is their third highest scoring half this season (54 points at Washington State on Dec. 29 and 51 points at home against UCLA on Jan. 21).
- In the first 1:30, senior Garrett Sim opened up 3-3 FGs (2-2 3FGs) for eight points on Oregon’s first three possessions.  Sim hit his next two shots to start the game 5-5 FGs (3-3 3FGs) for 13 pts.

- Garrett Sim scored all 13 of his points in the first half.

- Carlos Emory scored a career-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Emory has scored in double figures in three of UO’s last four games.