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Oregon's Elgin Cook drives in the second half Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena during UO's 74-72 loss to Arizona State. Cook scored seven points but was credited by teammates as one player whose energy in the second half sparked a 21-point comeback.

(The Associated Press)

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Oregon basketball staff members declined to press charges against an Arizona State student who spit on both assistant coach Brian Fish and athletic trainer Clay Jamieson after Oregon's 74-72 loss to Arizona State on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Minutes after the incident, the Ducks were followed to their locker room by two university police officers investigating the spitting, which officers told UO staff members was witnessed by at least two people.

The incident occurred as the Ducks walked from their bench to the locker room up a ramp that is flanked by two sections of students. Both head coach Dana Altman and Fish said it is the only such setup in the Pac-12.

In a later interview, Fish said members of the team were also spit on at halftime.

"Say what you want to us but don't spit on us," Fish said.

Altman called it "

a security issue having us walk through the students on the way out. ... We were in a tough situation at half but that's a poor security there. That's not good."

In the interview, Fish clarified that the students were aiming after the game at Joseph Young, who scored 29 points in the second half for Oregon as the Ducks mounted a comeback from a 20-point halftime deficit. But when asked whether he wanted to press charges by officers, Fish vehemently said no, saying that he only wanted the student in question -- the officers said the student was being held by security inside Wells Fargo Arena -- to be reprimanded some other way.

"I didn't want any charges, just for him to be scared (witless)," Fish said. "We all deserve second chances, he's a college kid. But that was completely uncalled for."

Kenya Crandell, UO's assistant director of basketball operations, joined the conversation with officers after the game, telling the police and arena security personnel that, "you need to get more security in here." Another assistant, Josh Jamieson, asked security personnel after the game to speak with the event manager in order to lodge a complaint.

The incident followed a hard exchange in the first half that left Oregon senior guard Jason Calliste on the floor after driving to the rim and being knocked onto his back and head. A foul was not called. Calliste did not move for approximately 20 seconds underneath the UO rim as the Sun Devils streaked the other direction for a basket. He eventually walked off the court under his own power.

Callisted paced the baseline next to the UO bench, directly in front of Arizona State's student section as students chanted at him less than 10 feet away. A Oregon graduate manager and Jamieson walked over to escort Calliste back to the bench, grabbing his jersey from behind. But as the team walked off the court at halftime, Calliste mock-threw an elbow in the direction of a student yelling in his face. The student section erupted in disgust as Calliste walked to the locker room.

"It's not a good situation," Altman said of having to walk past students. "They need to address it. That's all I should say. That's my opinion, they can do whatever the heck they want but that's my opinion."

Hard play continued in the second half. Oregon center Waverly Austin fouled ASU forward Shaquielle McKissic in transition and drew a flagrant foul after McKissic tumbled to the ground.

-- Andrew Greif