Saturday’s match-up with Rice (1-3) resulted in another “routine” victory, according to Oregon coach Ernie Kent after the Ducks’ 84-60 triumph.
“This became another routine win for us,” Kent said. “Our numbers are almost identical in all of the games. It’s been a pretty good start to the season, but yet we need to see the consistency now when these teams step up the competition.”
The Ducks (4-0) remain undefeated at McArthur Court this season, where 7,481 watched Oregon run its way to an early double-digit lead that it didn’t relinquish Saturday.
Five Oregon players scored in double figures, while Adam Zahn added nine points. It wasn’t only on the offensive end of the floor that the Ducks picked up the intensity; Oregon outrebounded Rice 44-31.
“One of my jobs on the team is to get rebounds, so I’ve got to make that a focus too,” said Oregon’s Maarty Leunen, who grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.
Malik Hairston scored six of his team-high 14 points in the first half, which Oregon led 42-25 at the break.
“We’re just playing as a team. We’re communicating a lot better. We’re understanding our positioning. We’re just locking up,” Hairston said.
Offensively, Oregon made 13 three-pointers with a 46.4 percent average. Prior to the game, the Ducks averaged 5.3 three-pointers made and a 33 percent average from outside. Chamberlain Oguchi and Aaron Brooks keyed a deep attack as both made four three-pointers. Oguchi and Brooks scored 14 and 13 points, respectively.
“Personally, I’m not the biggest on threes because I think you can live or die by them,” Hairston said. “I think you use the three to get in the lane. Basketball is played inside-out. It’s a matter of using the three to get in the lane, or get in the paint. The guys made them tonight.”
Overall, Oregon made 48.3 percent from the floor, while Rice struggled, connecting on only 36.4 percent.
“We missed shots that we have normally been making,” Rice coach Willis Wilson said.
Early in the game, the Ducks led 5-4 before using a 10-0 run, most of which came in transition.
“That’s always our main goal, just to get out and run,” Leunen said. “We got a ton of defensive stops, so that enabled us to do a lot better.”
Oregon opened the second half on a 17-2 run to push its lead to 30. The Ducks’ biggest lead came when Brandon Lincoln made a three-pointer with less than three minutes remaining in the game to give Oregon an 84-52 lead. The Owls scored the final eight points of the game.
Bryce Taylor scored 11 points and Ivan Johnson added 10 to round out Oregon players in double digits. Brooks led the Ducks with seven of their 18 assists on 28 made shots.
“The next step for us is to take this team on the road right now,” Kent said. “Obviously the talent, the toughness of it is going to step up going to Vanderbilt.”
Oregon’s first road test of the season is at Vanderbilt (4-0) Wednesday at 6 p.m.

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