Singler propels Ducks past Cardinal

STANFORD, Calif. – Oregon coach Dana Altman prefers his players not think about the postseason just yet.

E.J. Singler knows it’s too late for that.

With a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament still up for grabs, Singler and his teammates aren’t just talking about the postseason. They’re embracing it and using it as motivation.

“Oh yeah we’re talking about it,” Singler said after scoring 10 straight points in the final six minutes, including a go-ahead 3-pointer, in Oregon’s 68-64 win over Stanford on Sunday. “We have some goals we want to accomplish and that’s getting to the top of the Pac-12. We knew we needed this game.”

Oregon (19-8, 10-5), which was coming off an 86-83 loss to California on Thursday, is right in the thick of things in the Pac-12.

The Ducks moved into a fourth-place tie with Arizona with three regular-season games remaining, one-half game behind third-place Colorado. That’s critical because the top four teams in the standings receive first-round byes in the Pac-12 tournament.

Singler finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists while Olu Ashaolu added 14 points off the bench for the Ducks, who took their first lead with nine minutes left.