For the first time this season, the No. 15 Oregon men’s basketball team (6-1), which dropped its first game on the road against UNLV (7-1) 80-69 in front of a packed MGM Grand, couldn’t overcome its offensive struggles.
In what was supposed to be a neutral site – National Finals Rodeo were being held at Thomas Mac Center – the Running Rebels, whose fans unsurprisingly had a heavier presence, came out with more energy and dictated the flow for most of the game.
Oregon’s struggles began with a dismal first half on offense that included going 11-for-34 from the field, 2-for-8 from deep and 9-of-16 from the charity stripe. Oregon’s sole bright spot were its 11 points on 10 offensive boards.
Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks both had nine points at the break.
The Ducks put up just 33 points as a team.
On the flip side, Oregon’s defense, that entered this game holding opposing teams under 40 percent shooting, saw the Running Rebels hit eight threes en route to a 47-point first half.
Right from the get-go, UNLV had full control of the game.
Then, in the second half, right around the 16-minute mark, Altman saw a much-needed surge from his offense.
Led by Dwayne Benjamin, who put up a goose egg in the first half, the Ducks pulled to within four with three minutes to go. During this stretch, the Ducks went on a 19-4 run, while the Running Rebels failed to record a field goal for eight straight minutes.
Benjamin ended up posting a game-high 21 points along with five three-pointers that kept Oregon above water until the very end.
Ultimately though, the Ducks missed a few open shots in the final minutes, while the Running Rebels hit late game free throws to complete the upset.
For Altman, this first loss had some silver linings.
First, this team needs to find a go-to scorer that can fill up the stat sheet offensively, day-in-day-out. While Benjamin picked up the slack tonight, this team is going to have trouble winning games when Brooks and Cook shoot a combined 7-of-24 from the floor.
Freshman Tyler Dorsey had another solid outing with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and five rebounds, but was limited down the stretch after landing awkwardly on his left leg off a rebound. At the time, the injury looked potentially long-term and gruesome, but Dorsey ended up returning to the floor after a quick trip to the locker room. He had a noticeable limp and was virtually ineffective upon his return.
Second, this team needs to start hitting free throws. Oregon went 13-for-21 from the stripe tonight. On the season, the Ducks are shooting a dismal 66 percent. For the first time, this stat really did hurt this team’s chances to win a closely contested game on the road.
Next on the schedule is a game against a 7-2 Navy team in Hawaii. Game time is set for 6:45 start PST and will be aired by Fox Sports 1.
In what was expected to be a challenging first road trip, Oregon will now need to quickly pick up the scraps and head into another hostile environment following its first loss of the year.
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim