Oregon men’s basketball (21-8, 10-8 Big Ten) and the USC Trojans (14-15, 6-12 Big Ten) were  only separated by five points at the end of the first half. The Ducks shot poorly from three (14%) while USC’s offense often found its spots. 

It never seemed like a 21-point beatdown was even possible. 

However, Oregon exploded in the latter stages of the contest behind Keeshawn Barthelemy’s 14 second half points, which totaled to a team-leading 20. 

“I was in the zone, my teammates were looking for me,” Barthelemy said. 

The Duck’s defense proved as much of a catalyst, as they forced 16 turnovers, and totaled 20 stocks on the day (steals and blocks combined).

Five of those came by way of Nate Bittle, Oregon’s primary presence in the paint. Bittle added 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. 

“Nate was phenomenal. In the second half he owned the paint, blocked five shots. He did a great job,” head coach Dana Altman said. 

The two sides entered Saturday afternoon’s contest with drastically different stories. The Trojans entered off a four-game skid while the Ducks came in riding a four-game winning streak. 

The mismatch between the Trojans’ Rashaun Agee and Bittle became the point of emphasis in the opening five minutes as Agee scored 10 of the first 12 USC points. 

Agee led all scorers with 29, while also adding 14 boards and six blocks. 

His ability to shoot cleared out the paint and allowed USC cutters into that open space. The Trojans hit their first three tries from deep en route to an 11-point lead. 

“I didn’t like our shot selection and definitely didn’t like our activity defensively,” Altman said. “We didn’t talk, gave up open threes and didn’t get any hands on any passes.”

As the half continued, Bittle gave way for more dynamic defenders in Supreme Cook and Kwame Evans Jr. The defense shored itself up and the offense followed. 

“Fortunately, we got a couple baskets to get us going a little bit. Got some stops there and we tied it,” Altman said. “We got ourselves back in the game real quick.”

A 9-0 Oregon run halfway through the opening frame brought the game to a 17-17 deadlock. 

Oregon showed every possible sign of being able to stretch a lead, especially through its defense, but the 1-7 clip from beyond the arc in the first made that much more difficult. That improved to 37% by the game’s conclusion. 

Once the defense gained confidence, Bittle found himself more free to make an impact on offense. His eight first half points and Jackson Shelstad’s nine proved the catalyst for Oregon. Shelstad finished with 19 points and four assists. 

USC’s offense sputtered as the opening period came to a close, as the Trojans endured multiple two-and-a-half minute scoring droughts, which allowed Oregon to take a 39-34 lead at the break. 

Oregon appeared to have gotten over its three-point woes, as Keeshawn Barthelemy knocked down the first basket of the second half with an elbow triple. Shelstad followed that up with a speedy layup, and the Ducks took a 10-point lead early in the half.

They were able to keep it that way. 

“Defensively, we were really locked in. They didn’t shoot a high percentage in the second half, credit to Nate, he challenged a lot of shots. We did a lot better on the board and offensively we were moving the ball more, hitting open shots,” Shelstad said. 

The Ducks’ three-point shooting improved, and it felt as if every time the Trojans cut into the lead, Oregon would hit from deep. With about nine minutes to go, Barthelemy sank a dagger triple to extend the margin to 11.

Evans eventually brought that up to 14 with an emphatic and-one and Barthelemy made it 20 with two-straight triples. That capped off a 13-0 Oregon run which effectively ended the contest. 

That was an electric stretch of play that included three Oregon blocks (two-straight from Bittle and one from Evans), a TJ Bamba steal and two Barthelemy threes that brought the crowd to its feet. 

“It was amazing seeing the crowd today. They were behind us when we went on a run, and it was as loud as I’ve heard it all season. Everybody just made shots and big plays,” Shelstad said. 

The Ducks always had that ability to stretch a lead over a lackluster Trojan defense, they just needed to do it. 

Oregon rounded out the contest and took an 82-61 win. 

The Ducks return to Matthew Knight for senior day on Wednesday night against the Indiana Hoosiers.