A clutch 3-pointer from Payton Pritchard willed the No. 8 Oregon Ducks to a comeback win over the Washington Huskies, 64-61.
The Ducks held a slim 9-7 lead early, and that was the last time they held the lead. Washington’s lead ballooned to 13 in the first half, as the Ducks had a hard time keeping up with the Husky offense.
A four minute Oregon scoring drought extended the Husky lead. Center Francis Okoro ended the drought when he scored his only two points in regulation. Okoro played a lackluster game as he contributed only two points and grabbed just one rebound.
Forward Chandler Lawson picked up the slack by posting career-highs in rebounds (12) and points (16).
Besides Washington’s Nahziah Carter’s first jumpshot less than a minute into the second half, neither team made a field goal until the 13 minute mark.
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball in the second half, and Oregon finished the game converting on just 25% of its 3-point attempts. Anthony Mathis, Shakur Juiston and Will Richardson went a combined 0-for-10.
Down by 16 points with 10 minutes left in regulation, Oregon’s hopes of escaping the road trip with a win began to dwindle. But Oregon went on a 13-2 scoring run to cut the Huskies lead.
The Ducks tied the game at 56, and sent the game into overtime. Once again Pritchard came up clutch for the Ducks. The senior sank a triple with three seconds left in overtime to secure a win for the Ducks. Pritchard struggled shooting, but still finished with 22 points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Ducks are returning to Eugene to face USC on Thursday after splitting games with the Washington schools.