No. 11 Oregon Off to Quick 3-0 Start

Oregon ran its regular-season nonconfernce winning streak to 15 games.

Senior Malik Hairston led Oregon over Western Michigan with a career high 29 points.

EUGENE, Ore. - Senior forward Malik Hairston scored a career-high 29 points to lead No. 11 Oregon to a 97-88 victory over Western Michigan on Monday night in the World Vision Invitational.

Joevan Catron recorded a career-high 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Ducks (3-0), while Maarty Leunen added 18 points and Bryce Taylor had 17.

Hairston was 9-of-11 from the field and 8-for-13 from the line as Oregon ran its regular-season nonconfernce winning streak to 15 games.

David Kool had 24 points and Joe Reitz added 21 to lead the Broncos (1-2), who scored 58 points in the second half to rally from a 16-point halftime deficit.

Reitz made two free throws with 7:14 left to cut the Ducks' lead to 76-70. But Oregon scored on its next nine possessions to go back up 92-81 with just over 2 minutes to play. Hairston scored six points during that stretch, including his third 3-pointer of the game.

But a 5-0 run by Western Michigan again made it a six-point game, 92-86, with 44 seconds left. The Ducks closed it out at the free throw line, however, as they went 5-of-6 over the final 42 seconds.

Oregon shot 56 percent overall and 48 percent from the 3-point line. The Broncos, who shot 33 percent in the first half, shot 53 percent in the second and outrebounded the Ducks 35-31 overall.

World Vision Invitational All-Tournament Team:

Steffan Johnson, Pacific

Maarty Leunen, Oregon

Tajuan Porter, Oregon

Joe Reitz, Western Michigan

Malcolm Thomas, Pepperdine

MVP: Malik Hairston, Oregon

Story by: The Associated Press

Courtesy: goducks.com

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