Soaring Oregon Ducks blow by Iona Gaels

SACRAMENTO -- Oregon fans jumped to their feet as Dillon Brooks drove to the basket for an emphatic dunk to punctuate a 93-77 victory over Iona in a first-round Midwest Regional game Friday at the Golden 1 Center.

Tyler Dorsey scored 24 points for third-seeded Oregon (30-5). Brooks scored 18 points, Jordan Bell posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Payton Pritchard added 16 points.

Jordan Washington had 22 points and 11 rebounds for 14th-seeded Iona (22-13). Sam Cassell Jr. came off the bench to score 16 points and Deyshonee Much added 15.

Oregon was without senior forward Chris Boucher, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the Pac-12 tournament. Boucher was third on the team in scoring, second in rebounding and first in blocked shots, but the Ducks still had way too much firepower for the Gaels.

Brooks and Dorsey combined for three 3-pointers in the opening minutes to help Oregon race out to a 15-6 lead. Washington made a 3-pointer and a driving layup to help Iona cut Oregon's lead to 23-17.

The Ducks pushed the lead back to nine on a layup by Casey Benson, but the Gaels continued to battle back, reducing the deficit to three after back-to-back 3-pointers by Cassell and E.J. Crawford.

Iona trailed by one following two free throws by Schadrac Casimir, but Oregon responded with a huge and decisive run. The Ducks outscored the Gaels 26-9 over the final 7:39 to carry a 55-37 advantage into the break.

Oregon continued to build on that lead early in the second half. The Ducks took a 60-37 lead on a layup by Bell and stretched their lead to 27 on a basket by Pritchard.

Much brought the crowd to life with a barrage of 3-point goals to help Iona cut the deficit to 13 with 6:05 remaining, but the Gaels couldn't get any closer.