Oregon’s victory against Arizona came down to the wire on Saturday as the Ducks earned a 63-61 win over the Wildcats. Down 61-60 with thirty seconds remaining, Chris Duarte hit a timely 3-pointer from the wing to save the day. 

The Ducks (12-4, 7-3 Pac-12) jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the first five minutes of the game, and extended that lead to 22-12 midway through the first half. But the Wildcats did not go away quietly. 

With two minutes to go in the half, Bennedict Mathurin dunked off an Oregon turnover in the fast break, closing the gap to 32-31. 

The game was tied at 34 going into halftime, and would remain tight the rest of the way.

The second half was a back and forth affair, with neither team ever leading by more than three points. The Ducks offense cooled in the second half, shooting 39% from the field. But the Wildcats fared worse, going 33%.

With a minute remaining, the Ducks were up one point. Eugene Omoruyi fouled Christian Koloko with thirty four seconds remaining. Koloko sank the pair of free throws, to put Arizona up a point. 

Will Richardson led the Oregon offense down the court, finding Duarte, who drilled a 3-pointer to put the Ducks up two. In the waning moments, Duarte strategically fouled the Wildcats, setting up an Arizona 3-pointer as time expired, which missed the mark. 

Omoruyi led the Ducks with 19 points and 50% shooting. But he went cold in the second half, going scoreless in the last 15 minutes of the game. Arizona’s top scorer, Azuolas Tubelis, dropped 20 points, including 11 in the second half to keep the Wildcats in the game. 

Oregon will host Colorado on Thursday at Matthew Knight Arena.