Just when the Ducks started to enter their comfort zone, the Mile High City made its presence felt and nearly forced an Oregon loss.
Oregon scored the first nine points of the game Tuesday, en route to a cozy 30-14 lead over Denver. But then the suffocating altitude from the Rocky Mountains came into play for the Ducks, and the Pioneers took advantage, cutting the lead to 30-24.
The game stayed close throughout, but Oregon (2-0) survived in its first road game of the year, 99-90, beating Denver in front of a sparse crowd at Magness Arena.
“We hung in there and kept the lead,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent told KUGN. “We hit that fatigue wall in this altitude up here and we were sucking air a little bit.”
Oregon guard Ben Lindquist, who knocked home a couple of big threes in his 12-point outing, said that everyone in the locker room sounded as if they had a cold afterward because of the playing conditions.
“Within in the first two to three minutes everyone was coming over to coach saying, ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,’” Lindquist said.
The Ducks persevered, though, and kept battling the pesky Pioneers. In a game where the newcomers had a little trouble adjusting to the road, the veterans led the way. Junior guard Anthony Norwood showcased his leadership skills, knocking home four three-pointers to account for 12 of his game-high 25 points. Bryan Bracey finished with 20 solid points, including three smooth treys from beyond the arc.
“[Anthony] understood that we needed him out there, and needed his leadership,” Kent said. “And Bryan has the green light, and he hit some nice shots.”
The game was Denver’s season opener, and it had been looking forward to this one all season after believing that the Ducks had ran up the score in last season’s 101-53 blowout at McArthur Court. The Pioneers only trailed 48-41 at halftime, leaving their fans with much reason for hope in the second half.
The Ducks finally seemed to take control of the game, however, after two Flo Hartenstein free throws upped the lead to 61-46 with over 15 minutes left. But Denver continued to use its effective full-court defense, and took advantage of Oregon turnovers to climb right back in it.
Sparked by Arthur Ireland’s dunk and three-pointer, the Pioneers cut the lead to 63-60 with 10:52 remaining. And then, a Wahab Carter bucket knotted it all up at 63 for the game’s first tie.
“I don’t know if it was the air or what, but coach is going to get on us for that,” Norwood said about the defensive lap 1:32 mark of the half. Even worse for the Ducks, center Julius Hicks — who had seven points and nine rebounds — fouled out.
But two of the veterans sealed the deal when Norwood dished it to Bracey, who slammed home the bucket while getting fouled. The three-point play extended the lead to seven and helped deliver the Ducks a hard-fought victory on the road.
“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Kent said. “There was a lot of bad blood and emotion, but we did a nice job. It was a great test for us and forced us to grow some.”
The Ducks will take a little breather this week to enjoy the holiday before hosting Portland State Saturday night at McArthur Court.
“We’ll relax a little bit and have a wonderful Thanksgiving and get right back together as a team,” Kent said. “We’re trying to find ourselves and it’s kind of like, ‘Where’s Waldo?’ right now, and we think we’ve got him on the horizon where we can see him. And we’re going to get there.”