Oregon rebounds from close call by walloping Troy

Oregon rebounds from close call by walloping Troy

Five players scored in double figures and Oregon never trailed in an 82-61 beating of visiting Troy on Sunday in Eugene, Ore.Keeshawn Barthelemy came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points fo

Five players scored in double figures and Oregon never trailed in an 82-61 beating of visiting Troy on Sunday in Eugene, Ore.

Keeshawn Barthelemy came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points for the Ducks (4-0), who canned 51.8 percent from the field and drew 19 assists off 29 made baskets. TJ Bamba added 13, while Nate Bittle contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.

Reserve Supreme Cook chipped in 11 points and Stanford transfer Brandon Angel was good for 10 as Oregon led by as many as 28 points in the second half.

Myles Rigsby scored 15 points for the Trojans (2-2), who struggled offensively for the second straight game. After losing 65-49 Wednesday night at No. 18 Arkansas, Troy made only 37.3 percent of its shots, including a paltry 3-of-25 shooting on 3-pointers, and committed 17 turnovers that led to 25 points.

Leading scorer Jackson Fields played just 12 minutes before fouling out and scored only two points, 10 below his average. The Trojans’ bench was outscored 41-20.

The main storyline before tip-off was how Oregon would come out of the gate after it fell behind Portland by 11 points with less than five minutes left in regulation Wednesday night before rallying for an 80-70 overtime win. Veteran coach Dana Altman said that his players should be embarrassed by their performance for most of that game.

Altman’s message got through to the Ducks, particularly at the defensive end. It took the Trojans more than 4 1/2 minutes to score, and that was via a free throw from Jerrell Bellamy. Troy didn’t make its first field goal until the 13:28 mark on Bellamy’s short jumper in the lane.

The margin reached 15 with 9:50 left in the half on Bamba’s layup and stayed in that range for the half’s remainder. It got as high as 19 late in the half before Oregon settled for a 38-23 lead at the break when Rigsby dunked with a second remaining.