Ducks basketball took the win 77-72 in Thursday night’s road matchup with Cal. 

Despite the Golden Bears’ 9-11 record, they certainly didn’t roll over against the No. 11 Ducks. It was a back-and-forth affair through all 40 minutes. Cal, led by sophomore guard Matt Bradley, was able to end the first half even with the Ducks at 32. 

Bradley led the game in points with 25 through 33 minutes of play. Trailing closely behind him from the Ducks’ side was senior guard Payton Pritchard with 21 points on the night. Pritchard led both teams in assists, finding his teammates for points on eight occasions. 

With the help of senior Shakur Juiston, the Ducks were able to make their presence known in the paint, grabbing a total of 27 rebounds throughout the game. Juiston led the Ducks in the category with seven. 

Oregon shot at 51.9% from the field and 55.6% from three.

In Thursday’s narrow victory, the Ducks’ ability to score points coming off the bench was critical. CJ Walker and Anthony Mathis came together for 11 of the Ducks’ points. Cal, on the other hand, only managed to generate four points from non-starters. 

Ducks forward Chris Duarte’s hand remained hot in Berkeley, putting up 19 points, four rebounds and two steals on the night. Sophomore guard Will Richardson also played efficiently, putting up a quiet 15 points, three assists and four rebounds. 

Cal’s roster battled back, with four of its starting five putting up 10 or more points on the night. 

While Cal kept it close, Pritchard and the Ducks stayed composed and did just enough to keep them at bay. The Pac-12 leaders found a way to escape California victorious in their third straight conference win.