Oregon (5-0) came into the game following an ugly overtime win over the University of Portland Pilots last Tuesday that was filled with slow possessions and poor decision making. Even though the Ducks were able to pull it out, everyone on the team knew they had to be a lot better.
“We did play a lot harder. We worked off of the ball, we got after it better, so we did play much harder than we did Tuesday night,” head coach Dana Altman said.
Troy University (2-2) came into the game off of its first loss of the season against the No. 18 University of Arkansas Razorbacks.
The two teams exchanged scoreless drives for the first two minutes. A blocked shot by Nate Bittle and a quick turnaround led to a fast break layup by Brandon Angel.
The Ducks scored 8 points before Troy got on the board with a 1/2 trip to the free throw line. The Trojans finally got their first field goal seven minutes into the game on a second chance layup after Oregon already had 12 on the board. Troy nearly cut the lead in half, but after a missed reverse layup, Oregon was ready and found a wide-open Keeshawn Barthelemy for three, which began a 9-0 run for the Ducks.
Oregon had full control in the first half. Troy got a last-second slam dunk, but the Ducks still led by 15 at the break. Barthelemy led the team with 13 first half points, which didn’t include a single miss. While Jackson Shelstad continued to struggle to shoot the ball, he led the team on the board with five defensive rebounds as well as four assists in the first half.
The Ducks struck first in the second half with a three from TJ Bamba. Oregon’s defense was strong entering the half with a block from Bittle and a steal from Shelstad in the first three minutes.
Oregon’s lead only grew as the game progressed. The second half offense was led by Bittle, who finished the game with 12 points, Bamba, who finished with 13 points, Supreme Cook, who finished with 11 points, and Angel, who finished with 10 points.
“I felt like for us it was just a mentality thing,” Cook said. “The way we were thinking coming into the game. I felt like we played down to our opponents. We weren’t playing hard enough [Tuesday], so the following day and the days after we just took it seriously in practice.”
Bittle won the rebound battle, finishing the game with eight. Barthelemy only had 2 second half points, but he still led the Ducks from beyond the arc with three 3-point baskets, while no one else on the team had more than one. He was the Ducks leading scorer with 15 points.
While Shelstad continued to struggle to score, he was the best at finding open teammates, leading the Ducks with six assists. Altman is not too concerned about Shelstad’s performance.
“He’s not hitting shots but he did some good things defensively and had six assists. It didn’t completely take him out of his game, but he’s not shooting well and good shooters go through that and guys can’t worry about that,” Altman said.
The Ducks return to action Thursday night in Corvallis, as they take on the Oregon State Beavers.
