Jackson Shelstad erupts in second half to lead Oregon men’s basketball past UCLA

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If you weren’t watching already, now you know: Jackson Shelstad has arrived.

The Oregon men’s basketball freshman from West Linn put the Ducks on his back in the second half to help the Ducks move to 2-0 in Pac-12 play with a 64-59 win over UCLA Saturday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.

‘He puts the time in’

Shelstad scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, over half of Oregon’s points, hitting big shot after big shot to hold off a physical Bruins squad.

“I see him working every day,” Oregon senior Jermaine Couisnard said. “I know he puts the time in and I trust him to shoot those shots and be relaxed out there. There’s no pressure on him … I tell him to play with a free mind and be ready and be a learning sponge.”

Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad drives the ball up the court as the Oregon Ducks host the UCLA Bruins Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.

The freshman really took off when the Ducks (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12) stared down their largest deficit in the second half, trailing 42-37 with about 10 minutes to play. The West Linn graduate hit three long balls in a row to give Oregon a 49-44 lead, and after the Bruins (6-7, 1-1 Pac-12) got back with two, Shelstad hit a shot on the “S” of the “Deep in the Woods” decal at Matthew Knight Arena – well over 30 feet.

After a couple of stops, Shelstad eventually salted the game away with a pair of free throws at the end of the game.

After all this team has been through, the Ducks are 2-0 in conference play.

“I feel like every shot he shoots go in,” Couisnard said of Shelstad. “I see him work on that every day. Just shots in general I seen him shoot the ball, I have a lot of confidence in all the guys.”

Oregon guard Jermaine Couisnard guards UCLA guard Dylan Andrews as the Oregon Ducks host the UCLA Bruins Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.

Jermaine Couisnard has bounce back game

Elsewhere, Couisnard had a nice bounce back game with 15…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jackson-shelstad-erupts-second-half-005312466.html

Author : The Register-Guard

Publish date : 2023-12-31 00:53:12

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