The Oregon Ducks pulled through at home with a crucial win over the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday in Matthew Knight Arena, winning 60-56. The win marked their fourth-straight.
After being on pause due to COVID-19 protocols, every win is critical for the Ducks as they try to bridge the gap between in games played. Friday’s win could ultimately determine Oregon’s seeding for the Pac-12 tournament in early March.
With Colorado coming off a loss to Cal Bears, Oregon capitalized and continued the Buffalos’ losing streak with key performances from senior duo Chris Duarte and Eugene Omoruyi. This was the first time the Buffaloes lost back-to-back games this season.
Duarte finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Omoruyi put up 13 points and five steals. Junior guard Will Richardson — playing in just his fourth game of the season after sustaining a thumb injury — made big plays for the Ducks down the stretch, scoring seven points within the last minute and a half of the game with a spinning lay up, a midrange jumper and two crucial free throws.
Oregon pulled off the win at home, but the game was back and forth with mistakes on both ends of the floor. Neither team had a double digit lead over the other, with the highest lead of the night being eight points from Colorado early in the first half.
“We did just enough to grind one out, ‘cause that was a slug fest,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “Both teams defensively played very hard, I know we did defensively.”
The Ducks and Buffaloes combined for 14 turnovers in the first half. But the Buffaloes held a slim five-point lead heading into halftime, 30-25. Meanwhile, the Ducks never led in the entire first half.
Despite its varied deficits, the defense from Oregon made Colorado look like a much different team compared to the last matchup between the two teams in Boulder. The Buffaloes were held to 37.5% (12-32) from the field and 22% (6-27) from beyond the arc.
Oregon struggled offensively as well, shooting only 24% (4-17), while committing 14 turnovers and 12 personal fouls. Five of the fouls came from Omoruyi, who fouled out with just under three minutes to go in the game.
Oregon was also out-rebounded significantly by Colorado, as the team finished with 43 rebounds compared to the Ducks’ 29 boards. Altman showed his frustration throughout the game as the head coach was fired up at times when talking to his players.
“L.J. struggled at times blocking out, I was a little upset with him,” Altman said. “He did get two big ones late that we desperately had to have.”
With this game being a must-win for both teams because it can determine their seeding in the Pac-12 tournament, it was expected for the battle to go down to the wire, especially after a close first half. The Ducks look to continue their win streak when they host Utah this Saturday in Matthew Knight Arena, before heading to Los Angeles to face No. 17 USC next Monday.
