Mar 24, 2007, 5:25 GMT
St. Louis, MO - Tajuan Porter scored 33 points, going 8-of-12 from beyond the arc, and Oregon nearly blew an 18-point second-half lead before holding off UNLV, 76-72, to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Malik Hairston had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the third-seeded Ducks (29-7), who will face top seed and defending national champion Florida in the Midwest Regional final on Sunday. The Gators beat fifth seeded Butler, 65-57, in the first game Friday night at the Edward Jones Dome.
Maarty Leunen ended with 11 points and 10 boards for Oregon, which is making its first trip to the Elite Eight since 2002 when the Ducks were eliminated by Kansas in their attempt to reach the Final Four.
Michael Umeh and Kevin Kruger each had 15 points for the seventh-seeded Rebels (30-7), who failed to continue a magical season for the Kruger family. Kruger, in his final game under head coach and father Lon Kruger, was just 5-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-11 from three-point range. Joe Darger had 13 points for UNLV, which ended 9-of-33 from beyond the arc.
'We definitely feel like we didn't dictate and establish the identity that we have had all year,' Umeh said. 'We definitely feel like we didn't play Runnin' Rebels basketball.'
Oregon won despite leading scorer Aaron Brooks behind held to eight points, 10 below his season average. Yet, Brooks was thankful Porter rose to the occasion.
'He was dynamite today,' Brooks said. 'That's what good point guards can do. They can pick their other teammates up and he's been doing it all year. It's not surprising to me.'
Umeh's three-pointer had the Rebels within 73-69 with 11.9 seconds left, and Porter than made 1-of-2 at the line. Darger responded with another three, cutting the margin to 74-72 with 3.2 seconds left.
However, Bryce Taylor sealed Oregon's win by nailing two at the charity stripe with 0.9 seconds to go.
'We're a much better team than we showed coming down that stretch,' Taylor said. 'We got a bit tentative and a little bit careless with the ball. We have to make sure we keep our composure down the stretch of games and everybody has to want the ball in those situations.'
It was tight for most of the opening half, with the Ducks leading 37-33 at the break. Oregon's biggest lead was six, at 37-31, before Wendell White jammed.
The Ducks distanced themselves from the Rebels by opening the half on a 16-2 run. Porter and Leunen each banged in a pair of threes during the flurry, with Porter's second one providing a 53-38 margin with just over 16 minutes left.
Another three by Porter pushed the advantage to 58-40 with less than 12 minutes remaining.
'Even when we were down 18 we didn't feel we were out of it,' Kevin Kruger said. 'We were in the hole. We just fell about a minute short.'
UNLV cut into the lead with a run but was still behind 70-59 after a pair of free throws from Hairston with under two minutes to go. However, the Rebels responded with six consecutive points. Joel Anthony jammed, and after a foul on Leunen, Umeh banged in a three with 1:18 left.
Taylor then missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Umeh drove in for a layup with 50.2 seconds to go for a 70-66 margin.
Porter though was able to help the Ducks by making 4-of-6 foul shots in the final 41 seconds.
Darger missed a three that would have gotten the Rebels within 71-69. Instead, Porter banged in a pair of foul shots for a 73-66 margin with 29.4 seconds left.
Leunen could have extended the lead, but missed a pair from the line, giving the Rebels hope, that only faded in the final second.
Game Notes
Oregon ended 13-of-23 from three-point land...The Ducks had 17 turnovers to just eight for UNLV...Oregon ended at 47.9 percent from the field to 37.8 for the Rebels.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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