It’s difficult to win when the leading scorer and rebounder posts a zero point, four rebound statline, and his frontcourt matchup tallies 31 of his own.
Unfortunately for Oregon, Nate Bittle struggled in his worst performance so far this season, and Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia electrified the Gopher faithful with his offensive explosion.
Even as three Ducks added at least 15 points, ineffective defense and timid rebounding prevented Oregon from overcoming Minnesota.
No. 15 Oregon (16-4, 5-4 Big Ten) flew into Minneapolis riding a dominant win over Washington, while Minnesota (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten), bouncing back from its slow start, won its previous two games.
The Golden Gophers started the contest off hot, scoring 15 points in the opening five minutes. In that stretch, Minnesota made six out of its first nine shots and all three of its tries from beyond the arc.
The Ducks’ offense took longer to get going.
On defense, Oregon failed to close out on shooters and gave the Gophers plenty of opportunities in the paint. Minnesota’s go-to producer on offense got in rhythm early.
Garcia scored 14 of his 31 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Oregon caught fire in the latter part of the first, and a 10-1 run brought what was once an 18-point deficit back to single digits. The offensive turnaround coincided with a significant uptick in defensive intensity.
After that lead, the Ducks outscored the Gophers 30-18, which made it a 44-38 game at the break.
Brandon Angel led the Ducks in scoring in the first with an efficient 15 points on 4-5 shooting. Angel made just one more shot the rest of the way and finished the game with 18.
Jadrian Tracey knocked down a three to begin the second half, which then blossomed into an 8-0 run, and gave Oregon its first lead of the game. The Gophers responded to the Ducks’ run with an 8-0 stretch of their own.
After each team went silent for several minutes, the offenses started exploding again. Oregon started earning trips to the free throw line, but the lack of consistency from either team dropped the defensive intensity.
Oregon struggled to move the ball effectively and settled for bad shots. Minnesota outrebounded the Ducks 35-26, and didn’t allow a field goal for over six minutes.
The rebounding margin also included a 10-4 difference on the offensive boards, and the Ducks didn’t score a single second-chance point. The Gophers tallied 11 on Saturday afternoon.
Oregon was forced to rely on free throws to keep itself in the contest, but with just three minutes to go, that appeared to become a deadly strategy.
Jackson Shelstad, who dutifully added 15 points, ended the drought with his second three, but Garcia countered with an effortless post spin to bring the Gopher lead back to six with two minutes remaining.
Keeshawn Barthelemy missed a crucial try from deep down four, which forced the Ducks into an intentional foul situation. Shelstad’s and-one brought Oregon out of that, and he promptly gave the Ducks another possession with a drawn charge in the backcourt.
A TJ Bamba offensive foul and more uninspired defense ended Oregon’s hopes of winning. Minnesota closed out the contest and secured a 77-69 upset, and the home crowd stormed the court.
The Ducks continue on the road Thursday night against the UCLA Bruins who won the first matchup between the two in Eugene.
