The Oregon men’s basketball team has already proven they have the tools to compete with some of the best programs in the nation. On Wednesday night, however, freshman center N’Faly Dante proved he could make an impact on an established roster as the Ducks bested the Montana Grizzlies with a lopsided 81-48 victory.
Dante, who missed the first 10 games of the season due to missing the NCAA clearance date, put up 11 points and two rebounds, highlighting his performance with alley-oops on back-to-back possessions in the first half. Despite only seeing the court for 14 minutes, it was clear he brought a new dynamic to the Oregon offense.
The 6’ 11’’, 230 pound Bamako, Mali, native adds a much needed presence inside for the Ducks. He was a five-star recruit out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas after reclassifying from the class of 2020 to the class of 2019.
Oregon’s offense struggled at the outset, with the score tied 12-12 within the first 10 minutes of the first quarter. This trend didn’t last much longer though, as Chris Duarte’s 3-pointer and layup on consecutive possessions sparked an 11-0 run for the Ducks giving them a lead they held for the remainder of the game.
Oregon’s size advantage proved to be too much for the Grizzlies. The Ducks outrebounded Montana 40-24 — thanks to career-high 17 boards from Francis Okoro — and scored 12 second-chance points while blanking the Grizzlies in the same category. Points in the paint came easily for Oregon, scoring 46 while holding Montana to just 24.
The Ducks built their lead steadily in the second half. A 16 point run late in the second half displayed the dominance of a high-powered Oregon offense that has been clicking all season.
Payton Pritchard and Will Richardson led the Ducks with 14 points. Pritchard is now just three points away from passing Aaron Brooks on the Oregon all-time scoring list. The senior point guard has already jumped several notable names on the list this season, and passing Brooks would put him in 13th. He also contributed a team leading seven assists in the win.
For Montana, Oregon State transfer Kendal Manuel led the team with 15 points. Manuel is averaging 13.4 points and has a 92% free-throw percentage in his first year with the Grizzlies.
The Ducks continue a string of tuneup games with a matchup against Texas Southern in Eugene on Saturday. They will play Alabama State on Dec. 29th before beginning conference play on the road against Colorado on Jan. 2nd.