Saturday, January 18
Eugene, OR
12:00 PM
University of Oregon
15-3,4-3Big Ten
58
vs
65
Purdue
15-4,7-1Big Ten
1
2
F
Purdue
30
35
65
Oregon
31
27
58
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Drop Defensive Battle With Purdue
01/18/25 | Men's Basketball
Oregon went cold early in the second half to lose a matchup of top-20 teams Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena.
EUGENE, Ore. — A cold stretch early in the second half was too much for Oregon to overcome as the No. 13 Ducks lost 65-58 to No. 17 Purdue on Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena.
After scoring to open the second half and go up 33-30, the Ducks (15-3, 4-3 Big Ten) went more than 8 minutes without a point and fell behind 41-33. The UO men got back within one midway through the second half, and within four in the final minute, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
"They're one of the top 10 offenses in the country; you hold a team like that (to 65 points) you should put yourself in position (to win)," UO coach Dana Altman said. "It was just, offensively we made way too many mistakes."
Nate Bittle led the Ducks with 18 points, including two three-pointers during an 8-0 run that got Oregon back within 60-56 in the final minute. Jackson Shelstad added 15 points and Brandon Angel scored 10, but nobody else had more than four points for the UO men.
The Ducks shot 29 three-pointers in the game, including 18 in the second half. They were outrebounded 37-32, and allowed 12 offensive rebounds that Purdue converted into 14 second-chance points; Oregon finished with just two, and had 16 turnovers.
"Really disappointed in myself not being able get our guys to execute what we wanted; we worked our tails off defensively," Altman said. "… I'm not sure what's got us sped up on the offensive end and why our guys didn't make plays for each other. The ball movement was just really bad."
How It Happened: The first half was a battle of runs. After Oregon took an early lead, Purdue scored six straight to go up 9-6. Angle scored twice during a 7-0 run that gave the Ducks a 16-14 lead, and the Boilermakers scored seven straight of their own to go up 23-19.
The UO men then used an 8-2 run to push back in front, 27-25. Purdue answered with five straight, but the Ducks fought back to lead 31-30 at halftime after two free throws each by Bittle and Shelstad in the final minute.
But after Bittle scored to open the second half, Purdue put together the game's most consequential run: an 11-0 spurt during which the Ducks had 11 straight empty possessions, with 10 missed shots including eight three-pointers.
"It was a tough stretch, but ultimately we've just got to keep executing our stuff as a team," Bittle said. "Sometimes there were a couple quick shots that we could have got better ball movement in certain situations. It goes back to being able to swing the ball, run our stuff."
Jadrian Tracey ended that cold stretch with a three-pointer — Oregon's only one of the game not by Bittle or Shelstad — and sparked an 8-1 run that got the Ducks back within 42-41. But they got no closer, as Purdue scored six straight to regain some cushion, and another seven in a row to lead 59-48 with 2:20 to go.
Bittle ended that run with a three-pointer, hit another with 1:04 left and then the Ducks got a steal and two free throws from Shelstad to close within 60-56. That was Oregon's last gasp, however, as Purdue closed it out.
Notable: The crowd of 12,364 was Oregon's first sellout this season. … Bittle's six blocked shots set a new career high … Oregon's 16 turnovers were the team's most in conference play this season. … The Ducks' 29 three-point attempts were their most in a regulation game this season.
Up Next: The Ducks host Washington on Tuesday (8 p.m, Big Ten Network).
After scoring to open the second half and go up 33-30, the Ducks (15-3, 4-3 Big Ten) went more than 8 minutes without a point and fell behind 41-33. The UO men got back within one midway through the second half, and within four in the final minute, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
"They're one of the top 10 offenses in the country; you hold a team like that (to 65 points) you should put yourself in position (to win)," UO coach Dana Altman said. "It was just, offensively we made way too many mistakes."
Nate Bittle led the Ducks with 18 points, including two three-pointers during an 8-0 run that got Oregon back within 60-56 in the final minute. Jackson Shelstad added 15 points and Brandon Angel scored 10, but nobody else had more than four points for the UO men.
The Ducks shot 29 three-pointers in the game, including 18 in the second half. They were outrebounded 37-32, and allowed 12 offensive rebounds that Purdue converted into 14 second-chance points; Oregon finished with just two, and had 16 turnovers.
"Really disappointed in myself not being able get our guys to execute what we wanted; we worked our tails off defensively," Altman said. "… I'm not sure what's got us sped up on the offensive end and why our guys didn't make plays for each other. The ball movement was just really bad."
How It Happened: The first half was a battle of runs. After Oregon took an early lead, Purdue scored six straight to go up 9-6. Angle scored twice during a 7-0 run that gave the Ducks a 16-14 lead, and the Boilermakers scored seven straight of their own to go up 23-19.
The UO men then used an 8-2 run to push back in front, 27-25. Purdue answered with five straight, but the Ducks fought back to lead 31-30 at halftime after two free throws each by Bittle and Shelstad in the final minute.
But after Bittle scored to open the second half, Purdue put together the game's most consequential run: an 11-0 spurt during which the Ducks had 11 straight empty possessions, with 10 missed shots including eight three-pointers.
"It was a tough stretch, but ultimately we've just got to keep executing our stuff as a team," Bittle said. "Sometimes there were a couple quick shots that we could have got better ball movement in certain situations. It goes back to being able to swing the ball, run our stuff."
Jadrian Tracey ended that cold stretch with a three-pointer — Oregon's only one of the game not by Bittle or Shelstad — and sparked an 8-1 run that got the Ducks back within 42-41. But they got no closer, as Purdue scored six straight to regain some cushion, and another seven in a row to lead 59-48 with 2:20 to go.
Bittle ended that run with a three-pointer, hit another with 1:04 left and then the Ducks got a steal and two free throws from Shelstad to close within 60-56. That was Oregon's last gasp, however, as Purdue closed it out.
Notable: The crowd of 12,364 was Oregon's first sellout this season. … Bittle's six blocked shots set a new career high … Oregon's 16 turnovers were the team's most in conference play this season. … The Ducks' 29 three-point attempts were their most in a regulation game this season.
Up Next: The Ducks host Washington on Tuesday (8 p.m, Big Ten Network).
Team Stats
Purdue
Oregon
FG%
.339
.360
3FG%
.167
.241
FT%
.833
.882
RB
37
32
TO
12
16
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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/ Men's Basketball
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