LAS VEGAS (AP) — Eric Williams Jr. scored 14 points, De’Vion Harmon added 13 and Oregon opened the Maui Invitational with a 73-49 rout of Chaminade on Monday night.
The Ducks (3-1) needed a confidence boost after being crushed 81-49 by BYU last week. They got off to a fast start against the Division II Silverswords (2-1), had a letdown to end the first half, then raced away into Tuesday's semifinals.
Chaminade trimmed a 14-point lead to four just before halftime, but wore down against Oregon's length and athleticism. Raazhel Watkins had 13 points to lead the Silverswords, who shot 29% and were 4 for 17 from 3.
Chaminade plays in the main Maui Invitational bracket every second year and normally has a short flight from Oahu to Maui. The pandemic led to a shift east to Las Vegas after being played in Asheville, North Carolina a year ago.
Las Vegas has been called “the ninth Hawaiian island,” but it's about 2,700 from the Silverswords' campus in Honolulu — not exactly close.
The long-distance travel and facing a pack of angry Ducks didn't figure to be a good combination.
Oregon got off to a bit of a shaky start before hitting Chaminade with a parade of transition 3s. The Ducks used an 18-2 run to go up 21-7 and turned a series of Chaminade possessions into a fight against the shot clock.
The Silverswords have proven to be resilient through the years, pulling off the occasional upset, and showed a bit of grit to get back in it.
They gained confidence at both ends after a few shots started to fall, using a 13-2 run to pull within four. Oregon missed 11 of its final 13 shots and went 4 for 19 from 3 to see its lead trimmed to 29-22 at halftime.
The Ducks got their mojo back in the second half, using an 11-0 run to push the lead to 49-28 and kept their foot on the gas from there.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon did what it was supposed to against a Division II school, using its length and athleticism to win in a rout.
Chaminade was overmatched physically against a Power Five school, but showed it can hang at least for stretches with its late first-half run.
UP NEXT
Oregon will play the Saint Mary's-Notre Dame winner in Tuesday's semifinals.
Chaminade plays the Saint Mary's-Notre Dame loser Tuesday.
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