Dorsey leads No. 16 Oregon past Oregon State, 91-81

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) When Tyler Dorsey showed up early for Oregon's shootaround before its rivalry rematch with Oregon State, his teammates could tell the

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) When Tyler Dorsey showed up early for Oregon's shootaround before its rivalry rematch with Oregon State, his teammates could tell the freshman guard meant business.

''He came in 1 hour before practice and started shooting,'' senior Chris Boucher said, ''so we knew he was ready.

''He attacked more and made plays for others, and when he does that it really helps the team.''

Dorsey matched his season high with 25 points, and No. 16 Oregon regained a share of the Pac-12 lead with a 91-81 victory over Oregon State on Saturday night.

Dillon Brooks added 17 points and Elgin Cook had 16 for the Ducks (21-6, 10-4), who tied a school record with their 23rd consecutive home win. Oregon and No. 12 Arizona have a one-game lead on Utah atop the conference standings with four games left in the regular season.

Boucher had 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for Oregon, which went 29 of 33 from the foul line. Brooks made all 10 free throws, and Boucher was 9 of 10.

Dorsey had his best scoring game in conference play, shooting 9 of 16 to go with five rebounds. He shot only 31 percent in his previous five games.

''I think Tyler is a pretty confident young man,'' Oregon coach Dana Altman said. ''He's scored a lot of points in his high school career. When you've got a scorer like that, they just know it's a matter of time, and I think Tyler felt that way.

''He got good looks and he finished them.''

Tres Tinkle had 23 points, equaling the freshman's season high, to lead the Beavers (15-10, 6-8). Gary Payton II finished with 11 points, five below his team-leading average, after early foul trouble.

Oregon, coming off consecutive road losses to California and Stanford, led by as many as 25 in the second half and avenged a 13-point loss at Oregon State to open the conference schedule.

''The ability to keep it at 20 in the second half until late was good,'' Altman said. ''You get a big lead like that and sometimes you let down a little bit, but we were able to finish it and get out of there with a win, so it was a good step for us.''

The Ducks took advantage of two early fouls on Payton. They went on an 18-7 run with the Beavers' top defender on the bench for nearly 6 minutes, building a 24-12 lead.

''Coach told us that we don't have to wait for 20 minutes to play a game,'' Boucher said. ''The last time we waited until the second half to play, we lost both games, so everybody was ready to play this game.''

It only got worse for Oregon State after Payton returned, as Oregon's lead grew to 51-28 at halftime. The Beavers' foul woes put the Ducks in the bonus after just 7 1/2 minutes, and Oregon made the most of it.

''It just took away our aggression defensively,'' Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. ''They pinned their ears back and attacked. We haven't given up that many points in a half in quite some time.''

Dorsey had 15 points in the first half, one of three Ducks in double figures to none for Oregon State.

Oregon made 13 of 14 free throws while building its largest halftime lead of the season.

''We were active,'' Altman said. ''That's the word we've been using with all our guys. You've got to stay active. In that first half in particular, I thought we flew around pretty good.''

TIP-INS

Oregon State: Payton is the only player in the nation averaging at least 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and 2.5 steals per game. He ranks in the top 10 in each category in the Pac-12. ... The Beavers haven't beaten a Top 25 team on the road since downing Washington in 1985.

Oregon: The 51 points in the first half were a season high for the Ducks and 10 more than Oregon State had allowed by halftime all season. ... The 346th edition of the Civil War, college basketball's most-played rivalry, drew Oregon's first sellout crowd (12,364) in two seasons and the seventh in 104 games at 5-year-old Matthew Knight Arena.

ANOTHER BLOCK PARTY

Oregon broke the school record for blocked shots in a season for the second straight year with seven against the Beavers. The Ducks have 162 blocks in 26 games, topping last season's mark of 157 in 36 games. Boucher, the nation's leader at 3.23 blocks per game, and Jordan Bell each had three.

WHAT GOES UP

Cook was credited with two points on a missed first-half dunk that went haywire when the rim snapped back and the ball shot about 8 feet into the air before falling straight through the hoop while barely rippling the net. ''I didn't know where the ball was until it came down and I heard the crowd, so that was kind of cool,'' Cook said. When Cook was asked if the dunk counted as a miss, Boucher quickly chimed in: ''No, I got the assist on it,'' he said with a smile.

UP NEXT

Oregon State hosts Washington on Wednesday.

Oregon hosts Washington State on Wednesday.