It may have been a little too late to mean much in the grand scheme of things for the 2022 season, but the Oregon Ducks got an impressive win over the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday night, edging out a 75-69 victory at home.
Considering the fact that the Ducks lost by 27 points the last time that these two teams met, this was a marked improvement.
It was Nate Bittle who led the way for Oregon, notching his first career double-double in a game where the team desperately needed him to step up. the Ducks’ star N’Faly Dante was slotted to start the game, but a tweaked knee in warm-ups held him out of the contest.
In the end, it was a trio of Bittle, Quincy Guerrier, and Keeshawn Barthelemy that led the way for Oregon. Here’s how everything went down:
Final Score: Oregon 75, Colorado 69
Keys to the game
- The night started out on a low note with N’Faly Dante appearing to tweak his left knee during warm-ups. causing him to miss the game. He came out of the locker room with a big brace on his knee, sporting ice and a notable limp.
- It was a slow shooting start for both teams, and points were not plentiful in the first half. At the 9-minute mark, Colorado had a 17-13 lead, with both schools a combined 13-for-35 from the field. Unsurprisingly, the Ducks were 1-for-6 (16%) from deep in the opening 10 minutes.
- Oregon quickly turned things around and had a really impressive close to the half, led by some great basketball from Nate Bittle, Quincy Guerrier, and Keeshawn Barthelemy. The Ducks went into the break up 32-26.
- The Ducks continued their strong play coming out of the break, pushing the lead up to double digits a couple of times as Will Richardson came alive and started to get aggressive on the dribble drive.
- Oregon maintained a 7-10 point lead throughout much of the second half, though they did at times struggle with Colorado’s full-court press. Big dunks from Bittle and Ware helped keep the Ducks with momentum on their side as we crossed the 10-minute mark.
- Colorado’s press found massive success against the Ducks, leading to a number of turnovers that saw the Buffs cut the lead to 2 points with 9 minutes left. The Buffs went on a 9-0 run and forced 5 turnovers in 6 possessions.
- The Buffs cut the lead to 1 with about 4 minutes to play, but a timely three-pointer from Quincy Guerrier, followed by a Guerrier layup, pushed it back up to six.
- Down the stretch, Oregon was able to hit most of their free throws as the Buffs resorted to the foul game, leading to a nice victory at home in the end.
Players of the Game
(AP Photo/Andy Nelson)
Nate Bittle: 11 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks
Quincy Guerrier: 16 points, 6 rebounds
Keeshawn Barthelemy: 13 points
Stats to Know
- This was Nate Bittle’s first career double-double at Oregon
- The Ducks had an edge in points in the paint (34-28) and total rebounds (38-34) over Colorado.
- Keeshawn Barthelemy led the team in +/-. with a plus-11 on the game.
What's next?
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
The Ducks continue their home stand on Saturday night with a game against the Utah Utes at 5 p.m. PT. The last time Oregon and Utah played, the Ducks got an important win on the road, beating the Utes 70-60.
