It was a different day but the same result at home for the Oregon men’s basketball team.
Thursday, the Ducks (11-15 overall, 5-9 Pacific-10 Conference) lost for the fifth straight time at McArthur Court. This time Oregon fell to the No. 20 Washington Huskies 75-72. The loss is the Ducks’ third-straight home loss by three points or fewer and sixth consecutive by seven or fewer.
“It might be feeling like Groundhog Day for a lot of you out there,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. “But for us, it’s another great battle, another almost great win. I’m really, really proud of the way these guys battled.”
With the score tied at 70 with 1:41 left, the Huskies grabbed two of their 19 total offensive rebounds in one possession before Jon Brockman scored the go-ahead basket.
Malik Hairston was called for an offensive foul on the ensuing possession – his fifth foul – with 32 seconds remaining to give the ball back to the Huskies.
Justin Dentmon then connected on two free-throws to push the lead to 74-70. After Jordan Kent made a layin with 12 seconds left, Dentmon connected on 1 of 2 free throws, and Maarty Leunen’s game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer missed.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to lose the ball game because I thought we played extremely well,” Ernie Kent said.
Hairston, who recorded three first-half fouls, scored 18 points and had a season-high six assists. Chamberlain Oguchi continued his hot shooting by hitting 4 of 9 from beyond the arc and 7 of 14 overall from the field to score 21 points. His four three-pointers gave the sophomore 16 total in his last three games, one shy of the Oregon record in a three-game stretch. Ivan Johnson rounded out the Ducks in double figures with 12 points.
As a team, Oregon also continued its hot shooting from the last game at Arizona State, where the Ducks made 59.2 percent from the field. Thursday, Oregon lost despite shooting 53.1 percent from the field. Washington, led by 21 points from Brandon Roy, shot 45.3 percent but outrebounded the Ducks 36-17, including 19 offensive rebounds to Oregon’s four.
Three of the Huskies’ last four field goals were scored after offensive rebounds against Oregon’s zone defense.
“They got big offensive rebounds,” Hairston said. “That was very big because we got great stops, and we just weren’t able to get a body against them.”
Five of Washington’s 19 offensive rebounds came in the first half. The Huskies, led by 14 first-half points from senior forward Jamaal Williams (17 for the game), took a 40-37 lead into the break. Oregon was paced by Johnson’s 12 points and Oguchi’s 10 in the opening half. Hairston, who played only 13 minutes after picking up the three quick fouls, had six points, five rebounds and four assists in the first half.
The Huskies (19-5, 8-5) jumped out to a 7-0 lead and led the majority of the first half. Brockman opened the second half by hitting four of Washington’s first five field goals, giving the Huskies a 50-44 lead. Brockman finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
“Jon Brockman was a beast in the second half,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “Jon is a very good rebounder, offensively and defensively. He has a knack to know where the ball is coming up.”
The Ducks fought back and took a slim lead before a Brockman tip-in with 4:26 left gave Washington the lead right back at 66-65. Johnson was then called for a technical foul after displaying his displeasure about a no-call on a charge he attempted to draw on the Huskies’ Bobby Jones. Roy made both free-throws, but the Ducks eventually tied the score at 68 with 2:47 to play and again at 70 to set up the finish.
Oregon fell for the seventh time in eight games and will finish its regular-season home schedule Saturday on Senior Day against Washington State. It will be the final game at McArthur Court for both Brandon Lincoln and Matt Short.
The Cougars enter the game after a 71-62 loss Thursday to Oregon State. Washington State (11-11, 4-9) is looking to snap an eight-game losing streak against Oregon.
“Saturday’s a big game for us. You never want your seniors going out on a bad note,” Kent said. “You can’t have a hangover. You don’t want a game to beat you twice. We must and we will bounce back.”

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