The Ducks had a chance to accomplish something rarely done in the Pac-12.
After defeating Utah on the road last Thursday, the Ducks had the chance to pull off the rare sweep of the mountain schools when they played Colorado on Sunday night.
Instead of pulling out the victory, Oregon broke down on both sides of the ball late and lost 91-87 at Colorado. With the loss, the Ducks drop to 14-4 overall and 3-2 in the Pac-12 while the Buffaloes improved to an identical record as the Ducks.
The game was a back-and-forth affair as neither team looked interested in playing defense until it mattered most.
Oregon’s Dwayne Benjamin hit his third three-pointer in a row with 4:11 to play that tied the game at 78 before Colorado took over. The Buffaloes then went on a 6-1 run to take an 85-79 lead with 1:32 remaining before the fireworks really started.
Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey refused to quit as he hit a three-pointer that cut the deficit to 85-82 before Colorado went 2-of-4 from the free throw line for a five-point lead. Oregon’s Casey Benson and Colorado’s Tre’Shaun Fletcher both knocked down two free throws on back-to-back possessions to keep the deficit at five with eight seconds left.
Dorsey then hit another three to make the score 89-87 with five seconds remaining and give the Ducks a little bit of hope. After fouling Colorado’s Xavier Talton on the inbounds, Oregon’s comeback was squashed when Talton knocked down both free throws to secure the win.
The Ducks didn’t get off to the hottest of starts as Colorado played well in front of 8,500 fans. The Buffaloes held a 26-17 lead—their largest of the first half—10 minutes into the game before the Ducks began chipping away.
Oregon cut the deficit to one, 35-34, over the next five minutes after Elgin Cook nailed a jumper but Colorado responded with a quick 8-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 43-34 lead. The Ducks continued fighting, ending the half on a 7-3 run to go into the break down 46-41.
Dillon Brooks led Oregon with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and added five assists and four rebounds. He did, however, make a costly mistake in the first half when he was whistled for a technical foul. Not only did Colorado sink both of the free throws, it retained possession of the ball and scored a bucket, resulting in a four-point swing.
Dorsey added 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc while Cook (14), Chris Boucher (11) and Benjamin (10) all scored in double figures. The 91 points they gave up were the most the Ducks have surrendered this season.
Oregon returns to action when it hosts USC at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Matthew Knight Arena.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka