One after another, the players on Oregon men’s basketball team spoke with disappointment in their voices.
They spoke about “not getting it done.”
They spoke about “not making the right plays.”
They spoke about “not being happy right now.”
And this was after a game in which they extended their season-opening record to 4-0 for just the second time in 23 years and the first time since the 1996-97 team that opened at 10-0.
The Ducks fought through their sluggish play and held off an improved Portland Pilots (2-2) team to capture the 66-60 win in front of 7,418 nervous fans at McArthur Court.
“We didn’t do the things we’ve been doing,” said senior forward Bryan Bracey, who was held to just nine points in 23 minutes of play. “I felt we weren’t ready to play. We’re definitely not happy with it.”
Oregon was paced by junior guard Freddie Jones’ 16 points and the 22 combined points from guards Luke Ridnour and Anthony Norwood.
The Ducks continued their trend of starting out slow but picked it up toward the end of the first half to take a 37-25 lead at the break. In the past few games, the start of the second half was where Oregon usually took charge, but this time the role was reversed.
Oregon appeared to come out smoking in the half after a Flo Hartenstein bucket and a Norwood three gave the Ducks a 15-point cushion, but then the Pilots made it a game. Guard Ryan Jones, who scored a team-high 15 points, helped lead the Portland attack by draining six free throws in a nine-minute span in which the Pilots outscored the Ducks 17-3 to cut the lead to 45-44.
“They got up by 15 points, but we kept chipping away,” Portland head coach Rob Chavez said. “I thought our guys did a good job of fighting, clawing.”
The Ducks then rattled off seven straight points, capped by a Jones steal and a thunderous one-handed slam with 7:48 remaining that woke the dormant crowd.

But Portland wouldn’t quit. The Pilots traded baskets in the foul-plagued final minutes and closed to 60-57 at the 1:37 mark. Neither team would score in the ensuing minute, and Portland was forced to foul Ridnour with 36 seconds left.
The freshman from Blaine, Wash., dropped in both free throws for the five-point lead. Then, after Portland’s Jones converted a three-point play, Ridnour downed two more from the charity stripe to give Oregon the 64-60 advantage with only 21 ticks of the clock left. The Ducks’ defense held strong and forced Portland to throw up two hurried shots, and after freshman Luke Jackson made two free throws, the ballgame belonged to Oregon.
“We found a way to win, but mentally we’re not making the right plays,” Ridnour said.
Coach Ernie Kent admitted that his team is “not there yet,” but said just the fact that his team is 4-0 is a great sign.
“It’s too early for us to get disappointed,” Kent said. “I don’t need to criticize this team. They’re tough enough on themselves. They needed to be disappointed.”
Kent will give his players today off and then go “back to the drawing board” on Thursday to prepare for Saturday’s Papé Jam game at the Rose Garden against Massachusetts, a higher profile opponent.
“We need to act like we’re playing Arizona every night,” Kent said.