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Tyler Dorsey caps dramatic Oregon comeback with game-winning three

Jeff Eisenberg
·Senior writer
Tyler Dorsey has scored 21 or more points in his last five games (AP)
Tyler Dorsey has scored 21 or more points in his last five games (AP)

Dillon Brooks isn’t the only Oregon player with a knack for late-game magic.

Tyler Dorsey showed once again he too isn’t afraid to take a big shot with his team’s season on the line.

With the score tied and just over 40 seconds left in Sunday’s second-round matchup between Oregon and Rhode Island, Dorsey chose not to let anymore time melt off the clock so the Ducks would have a chance to go 2-for-1. The 6-foot-4 sophomore pulled up from a few feet beyond the top of the key and buried the game-winning 3-pointer in his team’s thrilling come-from-behind 75-72 victory over the Rams.

Dorsey’s heroics were a fitting conclusion to a day in which he scored 27 points and sank 9 of 10 shots he attempted. The streak-shooting sophomore is heating up at the right time, having scored 21 or more points in all five of Oregon’s postseason games.

Rhode Island had multiple chances to force overtime after Dorsey’s 3-pointer, but guards Stanford Robinson and E.C. Matthews both missed contested threes. As a result, the third-seeded Ducks advance to face surging Michigan in the Sweet 16 and the 11th-seeded Rams head home after losing a game they led for the first 16-plus minutes of the second half.

Oregon trailed by as many as 11 points early in the second half and still was behind by six with just over six minutes to play. From that point on, the Ducks outscored Rhode Island 15-6 to stave off elimination.

Brooks started the rally by sinking three free throws after being fouled attempting a 3-pointer. Minutes later, he buried a big 3-pointer to give Oregon its first second-half lead. Rhode Island responded with a mini-surge of its own, but Dorsey responded, first with a game-tying 3-pointer after a pair of Jordan Bell offensive rebounds and then with his ice-cold game winner.

Oregon’s victory was reminiscent of its second-round NCAA tournament win a year ago when the Ducks rallied from a late seven-point deficit to edge St. Joseph’s.

The opponent was a different Atlantic 10 school this year, but the comeback was just as sweet.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!