DUCKS WIN Pac-10 Tournament!!!!!

Ducks romp to Pac-10 title

Updated: 4:47 PM, Saturday, March 10, 2007

LOS ANGELES Oregon made absolutely sure of its NCAA Tournament status, claiming the Pac-10’s automatic berth with an 81-57 rout of USC in the championship game of the league tournament on Saturday in the Staples Center.

The victory concluded a three-day domination of the event by the 16th-ranked Ducks (26-7), who in order defeated Arizona by 19 points, California by 18 and then the Trojans, who had beaten Oregon twice during the regular season.

This is Oregon’s second Pac-10 tournament title since the event was resurrected in 2002. Oregon also beat the Trojans in the championship game in 2003.

USC (23-11) never led after the opening minutes, and never really made a run after the Ducks doubled up the score at 30-15 in the first half. The margin reached as much as 78-39, with seven minutes left in the game, prompting UO coach Ernie Kent to pull his starters.

Bryce Taylor led the Ducks with 32 points. Tajuan Porter added 16 points and Aaron Brooks finished with 15.

The Ducks first built their lead up to 45-24 as Taylor scored Oregon’s first eight points of the second half, including a pair of three-point shots. Six consecutive points by the Trojans was stopped when Porter dropped in a runner, so the lead was still 47-30 with 16 minutes left.

The advantage grew to 52-30 when Porter hit a three that broke the UO season record by an individual, and it was 56-32 when Porter twice converted in the key after driving around bigger Trojans.

And on it went. The Ducks ran. They shot. They scored, and the rout was on.

When Brooks hit Oregon’s ninth three-pointer of the game to make the score 64-32, the Ducks had the record for threes in a Pac-10 tournament, topping the 28 they made last year. They were hardly done.

Oregon overcame an early 7-2 deficit with a 19-2 run fueled by three-point shots by Brooks, Taylor and Porter. The latter gave the UO freshman a tie with Orlando Williams for the UO season record with 94 three-pointers.

Even after USC got back within 21-15, the Ducks went on another run, scoring nine consecutive points including another three by Taylor and his dunk to finish a fast break that made the Oregon lead 30-15 with five minutes left in the half.

Oregon’s lead was 37-24 at halftime, with Taylor’s 11 leading all scorers. Brooks had nine by then, Porter seven and Malik Hairston six in another well-rounded scoring effort.