PORTLAND, Ore. — Payton Pritchard struggled on Tuesday night, shooting 4-11 from the field and committing six turnovers. But with the game on the line, he confidently sunk a stepback three and sealed one of Oregon’s (3-0) most impressive nonconference wins in recent memory, an 82-74 victory over No. 13 Memphis (2-1) at the Moda Center.

Pritchard was off for most of the night, facing intense pressure from the Memphis defense, and he often got trapped and made errant passes. Two of his six turnovers were back-to-back in the final minutes of the game, but in the end Pritchard made the dagger that ended Memphis’ hope at a comeback. 

Oregon lead for most of the game and ended the first half with a comfortable 41-35 lead. In the second half, the Tigers used their length and athleticism to cut the lead to two possessions. 

However, Oregon always found ways to respond. When Memphis cut the lead to 71-67, Will Richardson hit a clutch 3-pointer to put the Ducks up seven.  

“I usually think a lot before I shoot the ball, but I didn’t even think that time,” Richardson said. “I was open so I shot the ball. It happened to go in.”

Shakur Juiston stepped up in a big way for the Ducks, leading the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He played an incredibly physical game and his energy transferred to the rest of the Oregon team. 

“He’s a guy who’s been in the fight for a while,” Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway said. “He understood what his role would be tonight. He’s a gifted player.”

The 6-foot-7 Juiston battled in the paint against a large, physical Memphis squad headlined by 7-foot-1 center James Wiseman, the top-ranked freshman in America.

Wiseman picked up two fouls early in the game and was a non-factor in the first half. He did, however, get hot in the last 10 minutes of the game. The Ducks failed to box him out and Wiseman used his size to get to the rim and score some easy baskets. He finished the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds. 

The 82-74 win was hard-fought, as both teams battled in the paint. Oregon had 14 offensive boards and 15 second-chance points, while Memphis had 18 offensive boards and 24 second-chance points. Many of the Tigers’ second-chance points came on Wiseman put-back dunks in the final eights minutes of the game. 

Oregon’s biggest issue on the night was turnovers. The Tigers’ pressure got to the Ducks, whether it was intercepted passes or travel calls. The Ducks had 18 turnovers as a team, with Pritchard’s uncharacteristic six leading the way.  

“Our ball handling was really sloppy,” head coach Dana Altman said. “We tried doing too much, taking that one extra dribble into traffic.”

Memphis was also sloppy, racking up 13 turnovers, and also airballed on multiple 3-point attempts and badly missed on others — much to the delight of the mostly pro-Duck crowd at the Moda Center.

Ultimately, despite having arguably the best young talent in college basketball, the Tigers were unable to create a flow on offense or defense. Memphis shot just 37 percent from the field and could not find a flow on offense.

The Ducks took advantage, and now head back down I-5 owners of a 3-0 record.

Oregon will be back at it Nov. 17 against University of Texas Arlington.