Down by three on the final possession, Oregon’s Will Richardson had the ball in need of a 3. But as he attempted to create space, the Wildcats forced a travel that secured their victory.
Amidst a much-needed resume builder, Oregon came into Tucson and battled until the end. The Ducks (17-10, 10-6 Pac-12) came up short against the No. 3 ranked Wildcats (24-2, 14-1 Pac-12), losing 84-81.
“The guys played hard,” Altman said. “Second half we had a couple of opportunities to get a little gap and didn’t do it — we just couldn’t get it done.”
The game felt like it could have taken place a month later. With march madness around the corner, both teams started out by scoring at will.
Arizona’s perfect 7-of-7 shooting was combated by a barrage of threes from Quincy Guerrier that helped spark the Duck’s early success. Guerrier made his first three shots from beyond the arc and had 12 points at the half.
Guerrier was a spark plug and helped Oregon out to an early 32-20 lead. Will Richardson added 16 points of his own in the first half and was lockdown on defense, recording two of the team’s seven first half steals.
Then the Wildcats stormed back.
The crowd rose to their feet after a Koloko dunk brought it back to single digits. The change in momentum got Pac-12 player of the year candidate Bennedict Mathurin into the zone. Mathurin was prolific from three, hitting three of four, and added three assists including a monstrous lob to Dalen Terry to tie the game at the 4:45 mark in the first half.
After trading baskets in the final 4 minutes, the Ducks went into the locker room holding a 2 point lead. Oregon scored the most first half points Arizona allowed all season.
The plus-six turnover margin was much needed for the Duck’s early lead, as the Wildcats stayed alive with their 71% field goal percentage.
With 20 minutes to go, it was anybody’s game.
The high-scoring 47-45 first half was met by the same intensity to begin the second. McKale Memorial Center roared as the Wildcats battled to avoid their first home loss of the season. A miniature 5 point run by the Ducks was answered quickly with a 13-2 run from Arizona which led them to a 6 point lead.
Oregon’s poor shot selection led to Arizona pushing the tempo and getting fast points. The game stayed close with hard-earned baskets from both teams. Offensive charges and illegal screens got both benches hyped up. A career-high fourth and fifth 3 pointer from Guerrier provided the ammunition needed to combat the Wildcats rally.
“He [Guerrier] took a bunch of them,” coach Dana Altman said. “Kept him off the boards a little bit. We need him to be a better rebounder, but he did shoot it well.”
A banged up Richardson and Guerrier in the final stages led to dominant basketball by N’Faly Dante. The big man kept the team alive all game with his offensive put-backs along with a rare long-range 2 to give the Ducks a 4 point lead.
Dante ended with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
“He did a great job going to the boards. He played hard — he played a good ball game,” Altman said.
As soon as Oregon got on a roll, Arizona answered back. Mathurin and Azuolas Tubelis scored with ease to even the game at 76.
The next basket in the game: A long-range 3 by Kerr Kissa to take the lead with just over 1 minute to go. Oregon eventually answered with an unassisted steal to a layup by Jacob Young. Still a 1 point game.
Everyone in the arena was on their feet as Kerr hyped up the crowd during Dante’s potential game-tying free throws. His one-and-done didn’t fall, and the Wildcats lead sprung to five with more made free throws.
A massive fifth three from Guerrier gave Oregon one last chance, but it wouldn’t suffice. The Wildcats stymied the Ducks’ final stand, much to the enjoyment of the McKale crowd.
Oregon’s Saturday night heartbreak leaves them with even larger tournament complications. With a difficult visit from the LA schools remaining on the schedule, an undefeated finish may still leave Oregon falling short.
