Saturday, December 7
Eugene, OR
4:00 PM
University of Oregon
7-2,0-0Pac-12
89
vs
64
Hawai'i
6-3,0-0Big West
1
2
F
Hawaii
34
30
64
Oregon
34
55
89
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Second-Half Surge Fuels Ducks
12/07/19 | Men's Basketball
Oregon and Hawaii were tied at halftime Saturday, but the Ducks exploded out of the break to win, 89-64.
EUGENE, Ore. — Shrugging off a slow start and the absence of an injured starter, the Oregon men's basketball team exploded out of the halftime break and ran away from visiting Hawaii on Saturday evening, 89-64 before 6,599 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
Senior Shakur Juiston was not in uniform after sustaining a lower leg injury suffered against North Carolina on Nov. 29. Freshman C.J. Walker replaced him in the lineup and scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting Saturday, supporting a double-double by Payton Pritchard, of 20 points and 11 assists.
"We had a guy down, so I just had to step up to the plate," Walker said.
How It Happened: Coming off an extended break, the Ducks weren't especially sharp to open the game. UO coach Dana Altman said the team didn't have a great week of practice, coming off three games in the Bahamas and with final exams looming next week, and that seemed to carry over into the opening minutes Saturday, with Oregon not leading until there was 8:01 left in the first half.
"We knew we had to pick it up, and we did a great job adjusting," sophomore guard Will Richardson said. "Coach Altman always talks about adjusting in the game, and not after taking a loss. I think we did a good job adjusting today."
Hawaii took an early lead thanks to hot three-point shooting, making 4-of-5 attempts to begin the game and open up a 13-5 lead. A spinning hook by Francis Okoro and two baskets by Addison Patterson got the Ducks going, and they took their first lead at 22-20 on a three-pointer by Anthony Mathis with 8:01 left in the half. The teams jousted over the last few minutes before halftime, and went into the break tied, 34-34.
Everything changed after halftime, which the Ducks opened on a 20-1 run. Pritchard got things going with three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, sparking the run that put Oregon in control for good.
"We were pretty stagnant in the first half; second half, I just thought we played with a lot more energy," Altman said. "…. Payton hit those two big threes. We needed a kickstart there, and I thought those got us going."
After Hawaii rallied within 56-43, Oregon put together a 10-3 run to go up 66-46. It was 70-49 when two and-one baskets helped Hawaii mount another small rally, but the Ducks scored 12 straight to lead 82-56, capped by a Mathis three-pointer.
Who Stood Out: Walker's 18 points gave him a season-high for the third time in the last four games. He got off to a slow start offensively this season, but said Saturday he's begun adjusting to the rigors of the college game, including the work ethic required to excel at this level.
Richardson provided 16 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, and Patterson scored 10. Okoro led the Ducks on the boards with seven rebounds, and Mathis grabbed six, while scoring 11 points.
What It Means: Juiston's absence is not insignificant, and Walker's ability to sustain his recent breakout and fill that void was a welcome development as the Ducks look to shore up their depth before the start of Pac-12 play. Altman said after the game Juiston could be sideline for two or three weeks.
Notable: Walk-ons Luke Osborn and Eddy Ionescu entered in the waning minutes, and Ionescu set up Patterson for a tomahawk slam that gave the Ducks their final points of the game. Ionescu is the twin brother of UO women's basketball star Sabrina Ionescu. ... Oregon's win snapped Hawaii's five-game winning streak in the series. The Ducks last defeated the Rainbow Warriors on Feb. 1, 1975, when Kamikaze Kids stars Ron Lee and Greg Ballard led the way to a 77-72 win. ... Oregon has six days off before playing again, while the university conducts final exams to conclude the fall quarter.
Up Next: The Ducks will play at No. 4 Michigan next Saturday (9 a.m. PT, CBS).
Senior Shakur Juiston was not in uniform after sustaining a lower leg injury suffered against North Carolina on Nov. 29. Freshman C.J. Walker replaced him in the lineup and scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting Saturday, supporting a double-double by Payton Pritchard, of 20 points and 11 assists.
"We had a guy down, so I just had to step up to the plate," Walker said.
How It Happened: Coming off an extended break, the Ducks weren't especially sharp to open the game. UO coach Dana Altman said the team didn't have a great week of practice, coming off three games in the Bahamas and with final exams looming next week, and that seemed to carry over into the opening minutes Saturday, with Oregon not leading until there was 8:01 left in the first half.
"We knew we had to pick it up, and we did a great job adjusting," sophomore guard Will Richardson said. "Coach Altman always talks about adjusting in the game, and not after taking a loss. I think we did a good job adjusting today."
Hawaii took an early lead thanks to hot three-point shooting, making 4-of-5 attempts to begin the game and open up a 13-5 lead. A spinning hook by Francis Okoro and two baskets by Addison Patterson got the Ducks going, and they took their first lead at 22-20 on a three-pointer by Anthony Mathis with 8:01 left in the half. The teams jousted over the last few minutes before halftime, and went into the break tied, 34-34.
Everything changed after halftime, which the Ducks opened on a 20-1 run. Pritchard got things going with three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, sparking the run that put Oregon in control for good.
"We were pretty stagnant in the first half; second half, I just thought we played with a lot more energy," Altman said. "…. Payton hit those two big threes. We needed a kickstart there, and I thought those got us going."
After Hawaii rallied within 56-43, Oregon put together a 10-3 run to go up 66-46. It was 70-49 when two and-one baskets helped Hawaii mount another small rally, but the Ducks scored 12 straight to lead 82-56, capped by a Mathis three-pointer.
Who Stood Out: Walker's 18 points gave him a season-high for the third time in the last four games. He got off to a slow start offensively this season, but said Saturday he's begun adjusting to the rigors of the college game, including the work ethic required to excel at this level.
Richardson provided 16 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, and Patterson scored 10. Okoro led the Ducks on the boards with seven rebounds, and Mathis grabbed six, while scoring 11 points.
What It Means: Juiston's absence is not insignificant, and Walker's ability to sustain his recent breakout and fill that void was a welcome development as the Ducks look to shore up their depth before the start of Pac-12 play. Altman said after the game Juiston could be sideline for two or three weeks.
Notable: Walk-ons Luke Osborn and Eddy Ionescu entered in the waning minutes, and Ionescu set up Patterson for a tomahawk slam that gave the Ducks their final points of the game. Ionescu is the twin brother of UO women's basketball star Sabrina Ionescu. ... Oregon's win snapped Hawaii's five-game winning streak in the series. The Ducks last defeated the Rainbow Warriors on Feb. 1, 1975, when Kamikaze Kids stars Ron Lee and Greg Ballard led the way to a 77-72 win. ... Oregon has six days off before playing again, while the university conducts final exams to conclude the fall quarter.
Up Next: The Ducks will play at No. 4 Michigan next Saturday (9 a.m. PT, CBS).
Team Stats
Hawaii
Oregon
FG%
.386
.627
3FG%
.400
.526
FT%
.667
.882
RB
19
31
TO
13
12
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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