CORVALLIS — Eric Williams buried a three-pointer with 12.4 seconds remaining to lift Oregon to a dramatic 78-76 win over Oregon State on Monday night at Gill Coliseum.
The Ducks (9-6, 2-2) survived when Warith Alatishe missed a layup at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
Williams, who scored 14 points, broke a 74-74 tie when he hit a three-pointer with the shot clock about to expire.
Oregon, winner of three consecutive games, had five players score in double figures. Jacob Young led the way with 16 points.
Alatishe scored 16 points and Dashawn Davis had 14 to lead Oregon State. The Beavers (3-11, 1-3) rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to have several chances to take the lead during the final minutes.
A key to the Oregon win was its superior performance on the glass, as the Ducks out-rebounded OSU 39-29. Williams and N’Faly Dante each had 11 boards to lead the Ducks.
Three-point shooting was an issue, particularly for OSU, The Beavers were 2 of 16 from behind the arc. Jarod Lucas, one of the Pac-12′s top three-point shooters, was 0 of 8.
Oregon led 40-36 at halftime following a terrific first half. The teams changed leads seven times, with another seven ties.
The difference during the opening half was three-point shooting. The Ducks weren’t great at 4 of 13, but at least they made some. OSU went 0 of 8 from behind the arc.
The Beavers consistently cashed in two-point tries, however, hitting 14 of 17. OSU often got to the rim during the first 10 minutes, and particularly during a 10-2 run that gave the Beavers a 26-22 lead. But Young got busy late, scoring nine points during the final seven minutes of the half. Young capped his spurt with a three-pointer with two seconds left, giving Oregon a four-point halftime cushion, tying for its largest of the opening half.
The Ducks controlled the early stages of the second half. Dante dunked in transition, then Young drove for a layup to put Oregon in front 46-40. The Ducks later bumped the lead to seven on a Richardson three. OSU responded, with Dexter Akanno hitting the team’s first three of the game, triggering a 5-0 run that cut Oregon’s lead to two.
The Ducks didn’t blink. Rivaldo Soares and Williams hit threes during a two-minute spurt as Oregon built its largest lead at 62-53.
Turns out, neither did Oregon State. With freshman Glenn Taylor leading the charge, the Beavers pulled even at 64-64 with 4:52 remaining after scoring 11 of the next 13 points.
Oregon grabbed a 73-70 lead on a Williams free throw and a layup by Quincy Guerrier with 1:41 left.
Oregon State didn’t flinch, coming back to tie the game at 74-74 on a layup by Alatishe with 38.4 seconds to go.
That set the stage for Williams, whose deep three with just a few seconds left on the shot clock gave Oregon the lead for good.
Next up are Thursday road games for each team. Oregon State takes on No. 5 USC, while Oregon faces No. 3 UCLA.
-- Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
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