Pat Benetar said it best when she sang “You’re a heartbreaker.”

The Ducks lost an overtime battle with the No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Battle 4 Atlantis semi-finals, 73-72. 

Oregon found themselves down double digits once again, this time, early in the first half. The Bulldogs raced out to a 24-7 lead, after Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi sunk his first three pointer of the game.

Just like the previous night’s game though, Oregon clawed their way back into the game with a 27-9 run. Aggressive defense and strong rebounding limited the Bulldogs’ shot attempts late in the first half and into the second. Chris Duarte led the Ducks with nine rebounds. 

Oregon’s defense was the story of the second half. Gonzaga scored 43 in the first half, but the Ducks held the Bulldogs to just 23 in the second. Gonzaga shot just 28 percent from the field in the second half. 

Head coach Dana Altman rested Payton Pritchard and Duarte just two minutes the whole game. Pritchard and Duarte scored 17 and 16 respectively to lead the Ducks. Freshman forward CJ Walker also played key minutes until he fouled out late in the overtime period. 

Walker’s rebounding intensity was unmatched. All four of his rebounds came on the offensive end and gave the Ducks crucial second chances in the game’s waning moments.

Much like Seton Hall last night, the Ducks had a chance to win the game in the final seconds. This time though, Pritchard was unable to get his contested fall away jumper to find the net as Oregon lost their first game of the season.

The Ducks will resume play tomorrow when they face No. 6 North Carolina in the third place game.