Jesse Zarzuela’s first appearance on Oregon’s home court was a successful one as the transfer from Central Michigan scored 14 points for the Ducks in their 92-67 win over Tennessee State on Friday night in Eugene, Ore.
Zarzuela, a 6-foot-2 guard, hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer and was fouled, the turning point for the Ducks (3-0). Oregon led just 44-40 at the time but went into the break with an eight-point lead.
Former St. Joseph’s guard Jadrian Tracey led the Ducks with 15 points, Keeshawn Barthelemy added 13 and Jermaine Couisnard 12.
E.J. Bellinger’s 14 points led the Tigers (3-1), who were playing the Ducks for the first time ever. Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. added 11.
Oregon – without its best player, center N’Faly Dante, and his main backup, Nate Bittle, who left at halftime with a wrist injury – used a 12-0 run early in the second half to take control. Kario Oquendo’s transition dunk made the score 68-47.
The Ducks shot 18 of 30 in the second half and made 5 of 9 3-pointers.
Tennessee State was coming off a road win at Portland on Wednesday night but couldn’t handle Oregon’s athleticism and length on Friday. The Ducks dominated inside, outscoring Tennessee State 50-34.
The Tigers made 50 percent on field goal for the game (27 of 54), but Oregon took 12 more shots and made eight.
Oregon never trailed again after Couisnard’s layup made it 6-5 less than two minutes into the game. The Ducks led 33-19 with 7:09 to go in the half, on Barthelemy’s 3-pointer.
But the Tigers battled back to make it 38-35, using an 8-0 run late in the first half.
–Field Level Media