Oregon men’s basketball remains undefeated at home after their 71-65 victory over the UC Riverside Highlanders Wednesday night in Matthew Knight Arena.
These last two games, Oregon looked more confident and complete compared to the team that played during the Maui and PK Invitational tournaments.

“We needed a win, and we found a way to get it,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said.“A lot of things to improve upon, but there’s going to be those games where you just gotta scratch out a win.”

After suffering through an early season slump, losing three of their last six matchups, Oregon earned their win against the Highlanders. Many shots fell in, especially from beyond the arc. The Ducks finished with nine total 3s, shooting 42.9% compared to 23.5% shooting from the Highlanders.

Oregon was firing on all cylinders early, making eight straight shots until the score was 21-17 in the first half. The Ducks hit nine from the field and three from beyond the arc. UC Riverside kept the game close until the final 4 minutes when the Ducks were up by double digits.
Oregon’s Will Richardson led the Ducks with 17 points and five assists.
The Highlanders managed to keep the game close. Both teams had near-identical shooting percentages in the first half, with UC Riverside shooting 63% and the Ducks shooting 65% in addition to a couple extra 3s to keep their lead up.

In the second half, UC Riverside kept the game close for the Ducks, shooting 54.7% next to Oregon‘s 55.3%. A very animated Altman voiced his frustration from the sideline.

“We could have been much more aggressive defensively,” Altman said. “I kept telling them each timeout.”

Down the stretch, the Highlanders slowly caught their way up, tying the game 58-58 with just under eight minutes left in the game.

However, Oregon’s defense stopped UC Riverside with multiple shot clock violations and scoreless possessions as the game was coming to a close. With just under two minutes, the Ducks went on a quick 6-2 run to secure the game.

Despite the win, Oregon gave up too many points in the paint to UC Riverside, keeping them in the game with 42 of their 65 points being inside.

“We are still not there yet,” Oregon forward Eric Williams said. “We can’t keep giving up points like that.”

Oregon big man N’Faly Dante and forward Eric Williams were crucial in this game, racking up a total of 13 boards. Although the center is still under a minutes restriction, Dante’s presence on the court was missed after being out for a few games earlier this past November. Dante finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

With this game being their second win in a row since their back-to-back wins in early November, the Ducks prepare to keep the momentum going as they enter Pac-12 conference play at the beginning of next week.
“We have to be ready to play defense,” Williams said. “We have to take every game for granted.”

“We have got a long way to go,” Altman said. “We are going to have to get ready for everybody.”

The Ducks will open up Pac-12 conference play against Arizona State on Sunday at 4 p.m. back in Matthew Knight Arena.