Saturday, January 17
Eugene, Ore.
1 p.m.
University of Oregon
8-10,1-6Big Ten
71
vs
81
Michigan
16-1,6-1Big Ten
1
2
F
Michigan
40
41
81
Oregon
41
30
71
Photo by: Rian Yamasaki
Ducks Give No. 4 Wolverines A Tough Battle
01/17/26 | Men's Basketball
Without two key veterans, Oregon had the lead at halftime and closed the margin late in the game before falling, 81-71.
EUGENE, Ore. — Facing the No. 4 team in the country while two preseason all-Big Ten players sat out injured, Oregon gave Michigan all it could handle Saturday.
The Ducks (8-10) had the lead over the fourth-ranked Wolverines at halftime and made it a two-possession game in the final four minutes, before Michigan left Matthew Knight Arena with an 81-71 victory. The UO men put together that effort while both Nate Bittle (ankle) and Jackson Shelstad (hand) watched from the bench amid what are expected to be extended absences.
"I can't fault the effort," UO coach Dana Altman said. "The guys played hard, especially in the first half. I thought we ran outta gas. … Some good things to draw from. Disappointed with the result; not disappointed with the effort."
With Oregon's two key veterans out, Sean Stewart scored a career-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and added eight rebounds. Kwame Evans Jr. added 18 points with seven rebounds, Takai Simpkins scored 12 and Wei Lin added 11, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Oregon a lead at halftime.
"We had a team meeting with just the players, and we basically said everybody's got to come together — next man up," Stewart said. "Nobody's gonna play less hard against us because Nate and Jackson are out. We just had to play harder, and I think in the first half we did that. … We've just got to put a full game together, and I think we showed ourselves that we can play with anybody when we do that. That's just the mindset we have to have the rest of the season."
The absence of the all-conference duo also led to rotation minutes for Drew Carter and Luke Johnson. A sophomore from Portland, Johnson had an offensive rebound that led to a basket in the first half, the highlight from his career-high seven minutes.
"Luke did a good job in his seven minutes," Altman said. "… He practices (hard) all the time, and he came to me when (Bittle) went down and said, 'Hey coach, you need me to play, I'll play.' And I thought he really gave us seven good minutes. And Drew's been solid. … He can get us into some sets, and he's probably gonna see more action."
Altman said postgame that testing on Shelstad's injury suggested he'll more than likely miss the remainder of the season.
How It Happened: A three-point play by Evans and a putback bucket by Evans on the next possession were Oregon's only field goals during a 2-of-11 shooting start that put the Ducks in a 14-7 hole. They eventually trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, 21-10.
From there, the Ducks mounted an 11-2 run to get within two at 23-21. Stewart followed a miss with a dunk during the run, and Evans had a three-pointer. Michigan surged again, though, scoring with 6:35 left in the first half to lead 33-25.
That was the Wolverines' final field goal before halftime, however, as Oregon's defensive tenacity created multiple turnovers over the next few minutes. Simpkins scored twice during a 6-0 run to get the Ducks within 35-33, and moments later Simpkins scored again to give the Ducks their first lead, 38-37.
Lin's buzzer-beating three to close the first half put Oregon back in front, 41-40. Two early baskets by Stewart in the second half kept the Ducks in the lead momentarily, but after Devon Pryor flushed an alley-oop from Simpkins to put Oregon up 47-46, Michigan mounted a 7-0 run and led the rest of the way.
The Wolverines' biggest lead of the game was 12, at 68-56 just past the midway point of the second half. Threes by Carter and Evans allowed Oregon to close the gap, and Stewart scored to make it a two-possession game at 74-68 with 3:38 to go. But that would be as close as the Ducks would get.
Up Next: The Ducks host No. 12 Michigan State on Tuesday (6 p.m., FS1).
The Ducks (8-10) had the lead over the fourth-ranked Wolverines at halftime and made it a two-possession game in the final four minutes, before Michigan left Matthew Knight Arena with an 81-71 victory. The UO men put together that effort while both Nate Bittle (ankle) and Jackson Shelstad (hand) watched from the bench amid what are expected to be extended absences.
"I can't fault the effort," UO coach Dana Altman said. "The guys played hard, especially in the first half. I thought we ran outta gas. … Some good things to draw from. Disappointed with the result; not disappointed with the effort."
With Oregon's two key veterans out, Sean Stewart scored a career-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and added eight rebounds. Kwame Evans Jr. added 18 points with seven rebounds, Takai Simpkins scored 12 and Wei Lin added 11, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Oregon a lead at halftime.
"We had a team meeting with just the players, and we basically said everybody's got to come together — next man up," Stewart said. "Nobody's gonna play less hard against us because Nate and Jackson are out. We just had to play harder, and I think in the first half we did that. … We've just got to put a full game together, and I think we showed ourselves that we can play with anybody when we do that. That's just the mindset we have to have the rest of the season."
The absence of the all-conference duo also led to rotation minutes for Drew Carter and Luke Johnson. A sophomore from Portland, Johnson had an offensive rebound that led to a basket in the first half, the highlight from his career-high seven minutes.
"Luke did a good job in his seven minutes," Altman said. "… He practices (hard) all the time, and he came to me when (Bittle) went down and said, 'Hey coach, you need me to play, I'll play.' And I thought he really gave us seven good minutes. And Drew's been solid. … He can get us into some sets, and he's probably gonna see more action."
Altman said postgame that testing on Shelstad's injury suggested he'll more than likely miss the remainder of the season.
How It Happened: A three-point play by Evans and a putback bucket by Evans on the next possession were Oregon's only field goals during a 2-of-11 shooting start that put the Ducks in a 14-7 hole. They eventually trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, 21-10.
From there, the Ducks mounted an 11-2 run to get within two at 23-21. Stewart followed a miss with a dunk during the run, and Evans had a three-pointer. Michigan surged again, though, scoring with 6:35 left in the first half to lead 33-25.
That was the Wolverines' final field goal before halftime, however, as Oregon's defensive tenacity created multiple turnovers over the next few minutes. Simpkins scored twice during a 6-0 run to get the Ducks within 35-33, and moments later Simpkins scored again to give the Ducks their first lead, 38-37.
Lin's buzzer-beating three to close the first half put Oregon back in front, 41-40. Two early baskets by Stewart in the second half kept the Ducks in the lead momentarily, but after Devon Pryor flushed an alley-oop from Simpkins to put Oregon up 47-46, Michigan mounted a 7-0 run and led the rest of the way.
The Wolverines' biggest lead of the game was 12, at 68-56 just past the midway point of the second half. Threes by Carter and Evans allowed Oregon to close the gap, and Stewart scored to make it a two-possession game at 74-68 with 3:38 to go. But that would be as close as the Ducks would get.
Up Next: The Ducks host No. 12 Michigan State on Tuesday (6 p.m., FS1).
Team Stats
Mich
Oregon
FG%
.490
.422
3FG%
.391
.333
FT%
.733
.688
RB
36
30
TO
14
11
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
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