Wednesday, December 20
Eugene, OR
8:00 PM
University of Oregon
10-3
96
vs
82
Central Arkansas
6-7
1
2
F
Central Arkansas
40
42
82
Oregon
55
41
96
Ducks Win Fifth Straight, Now Have Break Before Start Of Pac-12 Play
12/20/17 | Men's Basketball
Oregon beat visiting Central Arkansas 96-82 on Wednesday, capitalizing on a hot start to win for the fifth straight time.
EUGENE, Ore. — Fueled by red-hot shooting in the first half, the Oregon men's basketball team won for the fifth time in a row Wednesday, defeating Central Arkansas 96-82 before 6,908 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (10-3) shot 73.3 percent in the first half, 22-of-30, to lead 55-40 at the break, and never let the Bears (6-7) closer than nine after halftime.
"Offensively we hit some shots and made some plays for each other," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We had a couple chances there to really take them out, and had bad turnovers and some bad defensive possessions. ... So a lot of positives, but disappointed we didn't finish the game tougher and more physical."
How It Happened: Central Arkansas scored on seven its first nine possessions, the last a baseline jumper by sharp-shooter Jordan Howard for a 14-12 lead. From there, the Ducks found their defense, holding the Bears without a point for the next 6:40 and building a 30-14 lead. Five different players scored during the 18-0 run. Howard ended it with a three-pointer, one of five he made in the Bears' next nine possessions as they fought back within single digits at 44-35. But Troy Brown Jr. sparked a 9-0 Oregon run with a three-pointer, and the Ducks led 55-40 at the half.
Both teams were slow out of the second-half gate, but a basket by Central Arkansas' Thatch Unruh and then a three-pointer by Hayden Koval got the Bears back within single digits at 75-64. They got no closer, despite repeatedly pulling within nine, as M.J. Cage, MiKyle McIntosh and Kenny Wooten answered each time for the Ducks. Wooten provided a couple late exclamation points for Oregon, slamming home a follow dunk for an 82-69 lead, then flushing an alley oop from Elijah Brown to make it 93-78.
Who Stood Out: Pritchard had 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added eight assists with six rebounds. McIntosh added 17 points with six rebounds, and Troy Brown Jr. chipped in 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Wooten scored eight points, grabbed six boards and blocked three shots. Cage had his first double-digit effort for the Ducks, scoring 11 points with four rebounds.
For the Bears, Howard finished the game with eight three-pointers, tying the arena record set by Travis Hammonds of Long Beach State on Dec. 18, 2015. Howard's 35 points were one shy of the arena record held by Joseph Young. Howard finished the game 12-of-17 overall and 8-of-9 from three-point range, included 6-of-6 in the first half.
What It Means: The Ducks maintained some momentum after their encouraging second half Saturday at Fresno State, and ride a five-game winning streak into the start of Pac-12 Conference play.
Quotable:
Head coach Dana Altman
"Offensively I'm not nearly as concerned as giving up 82. ... That's our biggest concern."
Sophomore wing Keith Smith
"I think we did a lot of things good, but we also need to work on a lot of things. They outscored us in the second half, and that's not good enough. And we let them get 80 points — that's not going to slide in conference."
Redshirt freshman forward M.J. Cage
"I knew I was going to get some extra minutes, so I just made sure I was ready to go. Just made sure in practice I worked on what I want to do in the game, in case I go in — skill-development stuff so I'm ready to go."
Notable: UO junior Paul White did not suit up after taking an elbow to the head at Fresno State. … With White sidelined, Wooten made his first career start. … Pritchard led the Ducks in scoring for the sixth time in 13 games this season.
Up Next: The Ducks now take eight days off to celebrate the holidays before opening Pac-12 play against Utah in Matthew Knight Arena on Dec. 29 (7 p.m., FS1).
The Ducks (10-3) shot 73.3 percent in the first half, 22-of-30, to lead 55-40 at the break, and never let the Bears (6-7) closer than nine after halftime.
"Offensively we hit some shots and made some plays for each other," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We had a couple chances there to really take them out, and had bad turnovers and some bad defensive possessions. ... So a lot of positives, but disappointed we didn't finish the game tougher and more physical."
How It Happened: Central Arkansas scored on seven its first nine possessions, the last a baseline jumper by sharp-shooter Jordan Howard for a 14-12 lead. From there, the Ducks found their defense, holding the Bears without a point for the next 6:40 and building a 30-14 lead. Five different players scored during the 18-0 run. Howard ended it with a three-pointer, one of five he made in the Bears' next nine possessions as they fought back within single digits at 44-35. But Troy Brown Jr. sparked a 9-0 Oregon run with a three-pointer, and the Ducks led 55-40 at the half.
Both teams were slow out of the second-half gate, but a basket by Central Arkansas' Thatch Unruh and then a three-pointer by Hayden Koval got the Bears back within single digits at 75-64. They got no closer, despite repeatedly pulling within nine, as M.J. Cage, MiKyle McIntosh and Kenny Wooten answered each time for the Ducks. Wooten provided a couple late exclamation points for Oregon, slamming home a follow dunk for an 82-69 lead, then flushing an alley oop from Elijah Brown to make it 93-78.
Who Stood Out: Pritchard had 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added eight assists with six rebounds. McIntosh added 17 points with six rebounds, and Troy Brown Jr. chipped in 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Wooten scored eight points, grabbed six boards and blocked three shots. Cage had his first double-digit effort for the Ducks, scoring 11 points with four rebounds.
For the Bears, Howard finished the game with eight three-pointers, tying the arena record set by Travis Hammonds of Long Beach State on Dec. 18, 2015. Howard's 35 points were one shy of the arena record held by Joseph Young. Howard finished the game 12-of-17 overall and 8-of-9 from three-point range, included 6-of-6 in the first half.
What It Means: The Ducks maintained some momentum after their encouraging second half Saturday at Fresno State, and ride a five-game winning streak into the start of Pac-12 Conference play.
Quotable:
Head coach Dana Altman
"Offensively I'm not nearly as concerned as giving up 82. ... That's our biggest concern."
Sophomore wing Keith Smith
"I think we did a lot of things good, but we also need to work on a lot of things. They outscored us in the second half, and that's not good enough. And we let them get 80 points — that's not going to slide in conference."
Redshirt freshman forward M.J. Cage
"I knew I was going to get some extra minutes, so I just made sure I was ready to go. Just made sure in practice I worked on what I want to do in the game, in case I go in — skill-development stuff so I'm ready to go."
Notable: UO junior Paul White did not suit up after taking an elbow to the head at Fresno State. … With White sidelined, Wooten made his first career start. … Pritchard led the Ducks in scoring for the sixth time in 13 games this season.
Up Next: The Ducks now take eight days off to celebrate the holidays before opening Pac-12 play against Utah in Matthew Knight Arena on Dec. 29 (7 p.m., FS1).
Team Stats
UCA
ORE
FG%
.484
.621
3FG%
.500
.600
FT%
.750
.632
RB
25
34
TO
12
11
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
6
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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