Bol Bol’s double-double leads No. 14 Oregon over Eastern Washington
EUGENE – Freshman Bol Bol had 23 points and 12 rebounds as No. 14 Oregon rode its stifling defense to an 81-47 nonconference victory over Eastern Washington on Friday night.
Bol’s double-double, his second for the Ducks (2-0), was capped by a spinning drive from the left wing that sent his defender sprawling and led to a rim-hanging, two-hand dunk for a technical foul.
Paul White and Ehab Amin each added 11 points, and Payton Pritchard had 10 points and eight assists.
Oregon outscored the Eagles 24-0 during an early 11-minute run and held them to 14.7 percent shooting in the first half. The 7-foot-2 Bol, whose late father was 7-7 NBA player Manute Bol, made the difference early with 11 points and five rebounds in the first 10 minutes, and the Ducks led 35-15 at the break.
Oregon’s largest lead was 42 points late in the second half.
Cody Benzel led Eastern Washington (0-2) with 16 points. The Eagles were 15 of 65 overall for 23.1 percent after shooting 22 percent in their opening loss to No. 16 Syracuse.
Oregon was 30 for 61 (49.2 percent) and had a 50-34 edge in rebounds. The Ducks also held a 30-2 margin in points in the paint as 13 of the Eagles’ 15 made field goals came from 3-point range, including nine in the second half.
Oregon’s quality of competition ramps up with two games in New York, especially if the Ducks face No. 16 Syracuse next Friday night, in what is otherwise a soft 13-game nonconference schedule reflecting coach Dana Altman’s roster turnover this season.
Eastern Washington, picked fourth in the Big Sky Conference preseason polls, will try to find some offensive spark after falling to 1-26 against ranked opponents. The Eagles have two home games before hitting the road again for their next five.