Fresno State stepped on the court with a 22-year losing streak to Oregon. But this year they were ready for battle as the Bulldogs carried a seven-game winning streak, with six of those wins coming at home, into the matchup.
And at the half, it looked like they would clench redemption as they led 38-28.
However, they watched the win slip away, as dwindling energy and faulty second-half shooting resulted in another year coming up short to the Ducks.
On the Bulldog’s home court, Oregon beat Fresno State 68-61 on Saturday night for the Ducks’ first road win of the season. Oregon (9-3) has now won four straight.
After an ugly first half, where Oregon shot 29.4 percent and trailed the Bulldogs (9-3) by as much as 10, the Ducks righted the ship in the second. It wasn’t until Paul White went out with what looked like a goose-egg above his left eye, that the Ducks finally took control on the court.
With a bare seven minutes left in the second half, Oregon took their first lead of the game after a successful steal and layup combination from Elijah Brown.
Oregon ran with the momentum as the Ducks rattled off an 11-2 run over the next four minutes and 40 seconds to take a 64-53 lead. Fresno State couldn’t buy a basket in the second half. The Bulldogs didn’t make a field goal for a 12-minute span, missing on 14 straight attempts.
Oregon ended the game on a 22-1 run and led by as much as 12 with 1:53 left in the game.
Kenny Wooten was once again a key for the Ducks. He recorded his second career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebound and tied his career-high in blocks with six, his second straight game with as many.
Brown led the team with 20 points and five rebounds. Troy Brown added 13 points with seven rebounds while Payton Pritchard had 12 points and four rebounds.
The Ducks fly north to Eugene to prepare to host Central Arkansas (6-5) next Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter @maggie_vanoni