Bell leads No. 20 Oregon past Fresno State 75-63

EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon will return from its holiday break on Christmas night with a very large challenge awaiting in a juggernaut that's turned even coach Dana Altman into a fan.

"I enjoy watching UCLA," Altman said of the Ducks' next opponent that's scoring 97 points per game. "They're must-watch TV. ... They're ball movement is unbelievable, the best I've seen in years."

Jordan Bell scored a career-high 23 points and No. 20 Oregon beat Fresno State 75-63 on Tuesday night for its ninth straight victory.

Dylan Ennis added 13 points for the Ducks (11-2), who finished nonconference play on a 33-game home winning streak.

Paul Watson scored 15 points and Karachi Edo had 12 for the Bulldogs (8-4), who pulled within 53-50 midway through the second half before five straight points by Bell gave Oregon some breathing room.

The Ducks played their second game without scoring leader Chris Boucher, who sprained his left ankle in practice last Thursday but has since shed his walking boot. In Boucher's absence, Bell shot 8 of 11 after going 7 of 8 and scoring 16 points against UNLV on Saturday.

"He's had two really good offensive games and hit his free throws," Altman said. "With some of our other guys struggling offensively, it's good that he gave us some firepower."

Bell also had eight rebounds as the teams battled to a 31-31 draw on the glass. He hit 7 of 8 at the foul line as Oregon finished 22 of 30 there to offset a 3-for-15 performance from the 3-point line.

"Jordan's always been extremely skilled around the basket," teammate Casey Benson said. "Now he's just taking his time. ... People can't guard him. It's just been awesome to see him playing so well."

The Ducks used a 9-0 run to take control at 31-17 late in the first half. They made only 1 of 9 3-point attempts but were 16 of 21 from inside the arc to lead 39-25 at halftime.

Fresno State opened the second half with a 15-6 run to get within five points but finished 6 of 22 from 3-point range.

Fresno State's Jahmel Taylor, second in the nation in 3-point shooting at 59.3 percent, went 0 for 7 from long range and finished with four points, nine below his average.

Altman said he wasn't certain if Boucher, who will head home to Toronto for the holiday break, would be available for the start of Pac-12 play against the Bruins.

BIG PICTURE

Fresno State hasn't beaten Oregon since 1995 and never in nine games in Eugene. The Bulldogs, coming off their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years, start Mountain West Conference play next week and were picked for fourth in preseason media poll.

Oregon: The Ducks didn't face a ranked team in nonconference play -- though a 17-point loss at Baylor launched the unbeaten Bears' rapid ascension to No. 4 -- and played only two teams (Baylor and Fresno State) from last year's NCAA Tournament field. That changes with No. 2 UCLA and No. 23 Southern California up next.

POLL IMPLICATION

Oregon, which reached an all-time high of No. 4 in November, is in the midst of its third-longest run in the Associated Press top 25 at 15 consecutive weeks dating to last season. Its longest streak was 21 weeks spanning the Elite Eight season of 2006-07 and 2007-08.

SERIOUS HANG TIME

After Fresno State pulled within three in the second half, Bell punctuated his dunk off a lob from Ennis by grabbing the rim and swinging his legs high on either side of the stanchion behind the backboard before letting go and completing the 3-point play.

Ninety seconds later, Bell's tomahawk slam had the Ducks back up by eight.

STAT LINE: Bell's big scoring night raised his season average to 10.3 points, giving the Ducks five scorers averaging double figures through their first 13 games.

UP NEXT

Fresno State finishes a three-game trip with its Mountain West Conference opener at New Mexico on Dec. 28.

Oregon plays its eighth of nine games without leaving the state this month when No. 2 UCLA comes to Eugene on Dec. 28. That would make the Bruins the highest-ranked team to play in Matthew Knight Arena since it opened six years ago.

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More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.