Brooks, Dorsey lead No. 25 Oregon past Valparaiso, 73-67
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) Oregon's Dillon Brooks stood at midcourt, arms stretched wide, indignant over what he was certain had been a phantom foul call on him while defending Alec Peters' 3-pointer.
Peters' free throw finished the four-point play that put Valparaiso up by three, but Brooks wasted no time exacting his revenge en route to a career-high 26 points and 13 rebounds in the No. 25 Ducks' 73-67 victory on Sunday.
Freshman Tyler Dorsey added a season-high 21 points for Oregon (4-0). Elgin Cook also had 13 points for the Ducks, whose scoring edge came at the foul line as they made 17 of 24 attempts to just 5 of 6 for the Crusaders.
But it was Brooks, with 18 points and five offensive rebounds in the second half, who was the difference, especially after that foul call.
''(Peters) sold it really well, so I just wanted to get him back on the defensive end and the offensive end,'' Brooks said. ''It was just like a test that everyone's against us, so I was trying to fire up my team with the foul call and just get this win.''
Brooks already had scored Oregon's first eight points of the second half when Peters snatched the lead back for Valparaiso.
Minutes later, with the Crusaders up by two, Brooks cut loose on another eight-point spree that featured two baskets on tip-ins and a breakaway dunk off a steal to highlight a 12-2 run that gave the Ducks their biggest lead at 63-53.
Oregon coach Dana Altman said he's liked what he saw out the fiery sophomore forward.
''For the most part he's channeled it in a positive manner,'' Altman said of Brooks, who didn't drop his half-court pose until waved off by his coach. ''We've got to have that fight. This was a grind-it-out game.''
The Crusaders (5-1) pulled to 69-67 on 3-pointers by Keith Carter and Darien Walker, but Oregon sealed the victory with four free throws in the final 28.6 seconds.
Tevonn Walker led Valparaiso with 14 points and Peters had 13.
Chris Boucher, who had nine rebounds, and Brooks led the Ducks to a 38-31 edge on the glass.
Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew, who has two Montreal natives on his roster, said he wasn't surprised to see Brooks, who's from Mississauga, Ontario, have a big game.
''We knew what a good player he was coming in with the international experience that he has and how competitive he is,'' Drew said. ''Obviously, we didn't want him to have as big a night as he did, but he's an excellent player.''
Oregon opened an 11-6 lead thanks mostly to eight Valparaiso turnovers in the first seven minutes. The Ducks' early strategy of attacking inside paid off in 13 free throws before the Crusaders made it to the foul line late in the half.
Dorsey's second 3-point play put Oregon ahead 27-19 with 4:42 left in the half before Valparaiso closed with a 16-6 run. Tevonn Walker banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 35-33 lead.
MORE SEASONING
As he did in last Monday's win over No. 20 Baylor, Oregon coach Dana Altman stuck mostly to his six-man rotation of veterans against Valpo. Freshmen Kendall Small and Trevor Manuel played just nine minutes between them. The Ducks' other scholarship freshman, starter Tyler Dorsey, shot 7 of 9 from the field with three 3-pointers and five rebounds. ''That's a very efficient line and that's really good for a game like this,'' Altman said. ''I thought he finished some things going hard to the hole. He was solid for us.''
NO TIME TO REST
Valparaiso played its sixth game in 10 day, most of any team in the country, to start its season. The Crusaders got 19 points in 62 minutes from their bench, and that's without reserve forward David Skara, who's missed three games with an ankle injury. ''It's just tough with our scheduling,'' coach Bryce Drew said. ''When you're a mid-major, it's hard to schedule and you've got to deal with what's dealt to you.
TIP-INS
Valparaiso: Bryce Drew, who has all five starters back from last year's 28-win team, went nine deep in the first five minutes of Sunday's game. . Tuesday night's game at Oregon State will close out a stretch of seven games in 12 days to open the Crusaders' season.
Oregon: Like No. 20 Baylor last Monday, Valparaiso was a first-time opponent for the Ducks. . Arkansas State will be the first Oregon opponent to bring a loss on its record to Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks' first four visitors came in a combined 9-0.
STOPPING THE DREWS
For the second time in a week, the Ducks denied a Drew brother a milestone coaching victory, as Drew's fifth-year mark at Valpo slipped to 99-43 with Sunday's loss. Scott Drew had to wait another game for his 250th career win after last Monday's loss to Oregon. Including their father Homer, who coached Valpo for 22 seasons, the Drew family has 989 collegiate victories over 47 seasons.
WHAT TO WEAR?
The Ducks wore their fourth different uniform in four games, sporting their throwback ''Tall Firs'' look of the 1939 Oregon team that won the first NCAA basketball championship. The Ducks have nine uniform combinations, two fewer than last season..
UP NEXT
Valparaiso: At Oregon State on Tuesday night.
Oregon: Hosts Arkansas State on Wednesday.
