Friday, December 29
Eugene, OR
7:00 PM
University of Oregon
10-4, 0-1
56
vs
66
Utah
9-3, 1-0
1
2
F
Utah
23
43
66
Oregon
31
25
56
Utes Take Pac-12 Opener at MKA
12/29/17 | Men's Basketball
Oregon commanded the first half but couldn't answer a second-half surge as Utah won 66-56 on Friday.
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon fell flat in the second half Friday and lost a conference home game for the first time in nearly three years, dropping a 66-56 decision to Utah before 9,661 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks led 31-23 at halftime but allowed the Utes to shoot 56 percent in the second half, and forced only three turnovers the entire game. The UO men, who saw their 46-game home win streak end on Dec. 1, dropped a Pac-12 home game for the first time since Jan. 8, 2015.
How It Happened: At halftime, Oregon was shooting 44 percent, Utah was shooting 29 percent and the Ducks had a 23-14 edge on the boards. But the Utes flipped the script in the final 20 minutes, making 14-of-25 field-goal attempts, holding the Ducks to 38.1 percent shooting and outrebounding the home team, 16-10. Utah scored on nine of its first 10 possessions in the second half, a run that ended with back-to-back three-pointers by Justin Bibbins for a 44-43 lead. Moments later, Bibbins made another three to cap a 7-0 Utah run into a 51-45 lead, from which the Ducks never recovered.
The first half was a different story, as the Ducks scored on their first three shots for a quick 7-0 lead. Bibbins' first of five three-pointers on the night got the Utes within 10-8, but MiKyle McIntosh capped an 11-0 run by the Ducks with back-to-back three-pointers. Utah scored on consecutive possessions late in the half to pull within 28-23, but Troy Brown Jr. hit a three-pointer from the corner to make it 31-23 at the break.
Who Stood Out: Troy Brown finished 6-of-11 for 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. McIntosh made his first five field-goal attempts on the way to 14 points before fouling out; Kenny Wooten also fouled out, after blocking five shots and grabbing four rebounds but without attempting a shot. Elijah Brown had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
What It Means: The Ducks came out of nonconference play with a five-game winning streak but couldn't sustain it through the holiday break, and now must bounce back quickly in conference play.
Quotable:
Head coach Dana Altman
"We couldn't get any stops (coming out of halftime), and then offensively I'm not sure what we were trying to run. That's on me. The ball just didn't move, and guys didn't execute. I was really surprised we didn't do a better job."
"That's four senior starters for their team that were much more determined than our team. I go back to points off turnovers (Utah, 16-4) and second-chance points (Utah, 11-3). I always look at those as indicators of who's more determined and has good activity."
Up Next: The Ducks close out 2017 by hosting Colorado in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
The Ducks led 31-23 at halftime but allowed the Utes to shoot 56 percent in the second half, and forced only three turnovers the entire game. The UO men, who saw their 46-game home win streak end on Dec. 1, dropped a Pac-12 home game for the first time since Jan. 8, 2015.
How It Happened: At halftime, Oregon was shooting 44 percent, Utah was shooting 29 percent and the Ducks had a 23-14 edge on the boards. But the Utes flipped the script in the final 20 minutes, making 14-of-25 field-goal attempts, holding the Ducks to 38.1 percent shooting and outrebounding the home team, 16-10. Utah scored on nine of its first 10 possessions in the second half, a run that ended with back-to-back three-pointers by Justin Bibbins for a 44-43 lead. Moments later, Bibbins made another three to cap a 7-0 Utah run into a 51-45 lead, from which the Ducks never recovered.
The first half was a different story, as the Ducks scored on their first three shots for a quick 7-0 lead. Bibbins' first of five three-pointers on the night got the Utes within 10-8, but MiKyle McIntosh capped an 11-0 run by the Ducks with back-to-back three-pointers. Utah scored on consecutive possessions late in the half to pull within 28-23, but Troy Brown Jr. hit a three-pointer from the corner to make it 31-23 at the break.
Who Stood Out: Troy Brown finished 6-of-11 for 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. McIntosh made his first five field-goal attempts on the way to 14 points before fouling out; Kenny Wooten also fouled out, after blocking five shots and grabbing four rebounds but without attempting a shot. Elijah Brown had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
What It Means: The Ducks came out of nonconference play with a five-game winning streak but couldn't sustain it through the holiday break, and now must bounce back quickly in conference play.
Quotable:
Head coach Dana Altman
"We couldn't get any stops (coming out of halftime), and then offensively I'm not sure what we were trying to run. That's on me. The ball just didn't move, and guys didn't execute. I was really surprised we didn't do a better job."
"That's four senior starters for their team that were much more determined than our team. I go back to points off turnovers (Utah, 16-4) and second-chance points (Utah, 11-3). I always look at those as indicators of who's more determined and has good activity."
Up Next: The Ducks close out 2017 by hosting Colorado in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
UTAH
ORE
FG%
.411
.413
3FG%
.370
.370
FT%
.769
.727
RB
30
33
TO
3
11
STL
4
0
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
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