Oregon rallies from 15-point deficit at half

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Luke Jackson wasn't ready for the season to

end, and his unforgettable performance ensured that Oregon would

play on.

Jackson scored all but two of Oregon's final 33 points, leading

the Ducks back from 18 points down in the second half in a 77-72

overtime victory against Colorado in a first-round NIT game

Wednesday night.

Jackson, who had 40 points overall, including 29 straight at one

point, scored 14 in the last 4:47 of regulation, tying the game

61-61 on a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. He followed that with 14

more in overtime, 11 from the free throw line.

"We've created our own March Madness here in Eugene," Oregon

coach Ernie Kent said. "(Jackson's) performance was the best I've

seen anywhere."

David Harrison led the Buffaloes (18-11) with 26 points and 12

rebounds.

Oregon's rally began with a dunk off a steal by Jackson at the

15:57 mark to spark a 17-1 run. It erased a 48-30 deficit to pull

within 49-47 with 7:57 to play.

Colorado, meanwhile, went almost 12 minutes between field goals,

and the once hot-shooting Buffaloes missed on eight straight

attempts before a putback by Harrison with six minutes left made it

52-47.

From there, Jackson took over for Oregon (16-12), making three

3-pointers and going 15-for-16 from the free throw line.

"You know, you get into a good rhythm and you just go with

it," said Jackson, whose career high is 42 points. "I'm just

happy we're moving on."

The only other player to score for the Ducks in the final 11

minutes was Andre Joseph, who converted a pair of free throws late

in overtime.

"Forty points is an amazing number to hit," Harrison said of

Jackson. "That final (3-pointer), I was dumbfounded. That didn't

hit anything but the net. He's just a great player."

Colorado jumped to a 9-4 lead in the game's first three minutes,

but fell behind 14-11 following a 10-2 Oregon run capped by a

3-pointer by Aaron Brooks.

But the Buffaloes answered by scoring 12 straight. They would

extend their lead to 45-30 going into the break as Chris Copeland

hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 45 seconds.

"We were definitely on cloud nine going into halftime,"

Harrison said. "But you definitely have to hand it to Oregon, they

didn't want this to be their last game."