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A somewhat surprising season in the Pac-12 for the Oregon State Beavers is still a mediocre one in terms of being solid team in the conference. However, a junior forward from Texas, Eric Moreland, had a good night in a loss against the Oregon Ducks.
Moreland has not had a dominating performance like this all season as he only averages eight points and nine rebounds per game. When his team needed him the most against its hated rival, he stepped up and took over the game. Moreland finished with a double-double grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 17 points in the process. The Beavers desperately needed a big game out of their big man, and they got it.
Going 8-of-10 from the floor, Moreland had a nice day offensively, but that was not even half of it; he was altering shots left and right and ended up with two blocks of his own. Moreland’s matchup was senior Mike Moser of the Ducks who went 4-of-11 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. Keeping him out of the paint is crucial to anyone’s success against the Ducks.
However, when it was all said and done, he could not take over the game and put his Beavers ahead at the end. His team might not have won the game, but they battled and remained close thanks in large part to Moreland’s performance.
Once the Ducks pushed on the gas pedal in the second half it was like the Beavers lost a step and had to force shots, leaving Moreland out of position, off his game and ineffective down the stretch.
There’s no doubt Moreland wanted his team to come out on top, but he was, in fact, their best player on the court as he had one of the best performances of his career. The Beavers lost 93-83, but it would have been a lot worse had Moreland not produced the way he did.
John Lloyd is a Pac-12 Basketball Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JohnHLloydIII
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