Field Level Media
Nov 16, 2018
Prized freshman Bol Bol had a season-high 26 points and collected nine rebounds and Payton Pritchard had 18 points, five rebounds and four steals as No. 13 Oregon rolled to an 80-65 victory over No. 15 Syracuse in the third-place game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Kenny Wooten had 12 points and six rebounds and reserve Will Richardson had seven points, four rebounds and three assists as the Ducks (3-1) built a 13-point halftime lead and were never seriously challenged.
The 7-foot-2 Bol, son of former NBA player Manute Bol, was 11 of 17 from the field, also adding four blocked shots and three steals. He has 75 points, 42 rebounds and 16 blocked shots in his first four games.
Tyus Battle had 17 points, Jalen Carey and East Carolina transfer Elijah Hughes had 14 points with five steals and Oshae Brissett had 11 for the Orange (2-2), who lost to UConn in the first round of the early-season tournament.
Bol's 3-pointer from the right wing gave Oregon a 62-46 lead with 8:10 remaining and the Orange never were closer than nine. Bol turned 19 Friday.
Both teams played zone defense almost exclusively, and Oregon's proved more effective. Syracuse shot 35.3 percent from the field and was 5 of 28 from 3-point range. The Ducks shot 50.0 percent (25 of 50), 7 of 20 from distance.
Oregon made 23 of 25 free throws to maintain control. Pritchard made 8 of 8 from the line, Wooten was 6 of 7 and Bol made all three of his attempts
Wooten and Bol each scored six points during a 17-5 run that gave Oregon a 23-16 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half. Pritchard and Bol each had six points in a 12-0 run to end the half, giving the Ducks a 35-22 lead.
--Field Level Media