Subscribe now
WSU Men's Basketball

Oregon outlasts Washington State in overtime for 64-62 win in first round of Pac-12 Tournament

Washington State's Robert Franks, left, tries to pass as he falls to the court as Oregon's Elijah Brown defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Pac-12 men's tournament Wednesday, March 7, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Isaac Brekken / AP)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

LAS VEGAS – Payton Pritchard shot Oregon out of an early offensive slump, knocking down four 3-pointers while scoring 18 points to help the Ducks beat Washington State 64-62 in overtime at the Pac-12 Tournament at T-Mobile Arena.

MiKyle McIntosh bulled his way to the rim, scoring another 18 points for Oregon. The Ducks got another 10 from Elijah Brown.

Malachi Flynn scored 22 points on 3-of-8 shooting from distance and hit a crucial 3-pointer late in regulation for WSU. Robert Franks added 16 points for the Cougars.

WSU’s dry spell at the conference tournament stretched to nine years with the loss. The Cougars haven’t won a game at the event since the tournament moved to Las Vegas in 2012. The last WSU win came in 2009 under Tony Bennett, against an Oregon team coached by current Cougar boss Ernie Kent.

Oregon (21-11) will move on to play third-seeded Utah in Thursday’s semifinal game at 8:30 p.m. (FS1). The Cougars will miss the postseason for the sixth straight year and conclude with a 12-19 record.

WSU suffocated Oregon with its defense during the first half, holding the Ducks to 17 points on 7-of-24 shooting from the field. It was the first time all season UO failed to hit 20 points in the first half and the first time the Cougars had held an opponent under that plateau. Additionally, it was the ninth lowest total allowed by WSU in the shot clock era.

Oregon won despite shooting 8-of-18 from the free throw line. WSU, meanwhile, was 15-of-18 from the charity stripe.

This story will be updated.