March Madness 2017: Dorsey propels Oregon to Sweet 16
Tyler Dorsey hits two three-pointers in final two minutes to help the Oregon Ducks defeat Rhode Island and advance to the Sweet 16.
When Oregon needed help down the stretch against Rhode Island, they got it through guard Tyler Dorsey.
Dorsey sank two three-pointers in the final two minutes, including a go-ahead step up jumper with 38 seconds left, to give the Ducks a 75-72 victory over Rhode Island Sunday night in the second round.
Oregon trailed 72-68 with 2:16 left after a tip-in by Stanford Robinson, who led Rhode Island in scoring with 21 points.
Dylan Ennis drew a foul with 2:01 left, making one of two free throws to cut the lead down to 72-69.
The Ducks got multiple offensive rebounds before Dorsey sank a game-tying three with 1:45 remaining in the game.
Dorsey had 27 points, 17 of which came in the second half. He was a nightmare for Rhode Island on the perimeter by going 4-for-5 from three.
Rhode Island had one last chance, but E.C. Matthews missed the game-tying three in the final seconds.
The Rams went into halftime with a 46-38 lead, thanks to a strong shooting half. In the first half, Rhode Island shot 59 percent from the field.
They kept up the pace, attacking the Oregon defense and leading by as much as 11 points with more than 13 minutes left in the game.
Oregon settled down, playing aggressive defensively with a full-court man defense and looking for traps whenever possible.
The Ducks also got it done with the rebounding, grabbing 13 of their 33 total rebounds off the offensive glass.
Dillon Brooks had five of those offensive rebounds as he had seven total and would finish with 19 points.
With the win, Oregon makes it back to the Sweet 16 for a second straight season.
The Ducks know they’ll have to contend with a hot shooting Michigan Wolverines’ squad in the Sweet 16.
Michigan knocked off Louisville earlier in the day Sunday to advance to the regional semifinals.
The two teams will face off Thursday night.