NCAA Tournament 2017, Oregon vs Rhode Island: Highlights, score and recap

The Rhode Island Rams pushed them to the brink, but the Oregon Ducks survived to advance to the Sweet 16 thanks to a heroic effort from Tyler Dorsey.

The Rhode Island Rams and Oregon Ducks entered the 2017 NCAA Tournament in substantially different positions. On one hand, the Atlantic-10 Champion Rams came in white hot and showed as much as they upset Creighton. Meanwhile, Oregon came in after losing in the Pac-12 Tournament Final and after losing Chris Boucher, a key element in their frontcourt, to injury.

Despite an eight-spot discrepancy in seeding between the two teams, they looked quite evenly matched early on in Sunday night’s game from Sacramento, CA. Despite the fact that Rhode Island’s star, E.C. Matthews, was struggling to find the cup, the Rams kept the pace with Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey for the Ducks.

However, it was an unlikely hero early on for the Rams as Jared Terrell and Stanford Robinson stepped up big on the offensive end of the floor with Matthews struggling and Hassan Martin in foul trouble. What’s more, they picked up the effort on the defensive end and were able to jump out to an eight-point lead going into halftime.

Of course, a team like Oregon with the talent of players like Brooks, Dorsey and Jordan Bell wasn’t going to let themselves be embarrassed and they certainly came out with a newly lit fire after halftime. Answering what the Rams did in the first half, they ramped up the defensive pressure and forced Rhode Island into tough shots and a number of bad decision. Subsequently, they were able to cut into the lead and force this one to go down to the wire.

Tied at 68, it was Terrell and Robinson that again stepped up for RIU, hitting big shots on subsequent possessions to take the four-point lead. After a foul and a split pair of free throws, Oregon was down three. With under three minutes to play, Brooks had a great look at a three, but couldn’t convert. However, the rebound was tipped out and found its way to Dorsey. The streaky guard’s attempt did find the bottom of the net, tying things up.

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With 1:09 left on the clock, the score remained knotted as Rhode Island had the ball, but Terrell played right into the hands (webbed feet?) of the Ducks and turned the ball over. That set up a possession for Oregon and they looked to Dorsey again. And once again, the guard converted.

Rhode Island then tried to get the tie on two separate 3-point attempts, but the looks were tough and didn’t fall. Subsequently, the Ducks survived a real upset scare to move on to the Sweet 16.

Highlights

Three Stars

Tyler Dorsey, Oregon – Obviously he nailed the game-winner, but Dorsey was phenomenal overall. He finished with 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals while shooting 9-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from distance.

Stanford Robinson, Rhode Island – Robinson was somehow almost as efficient as Dorsey off the bench for the Rams with a huge offensive output. He finished 10-of-12 from the field and with 21 points and two boards of his own.

Dillon Brooks, Oregon – Though not efficient, Brooks was clutch and came up with a nice line. The Oregon star finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in the hard-fought win.

Next Game

The Ducks will advance to the Sweet 16 where the No. 7-seeded Michigan Wolverines await them following knocking off Louisville in the Second Round.