BYU Demolishes No. 12 Oregon Ducks in Portland

Duck fans didn't have much to cheer for...

Despite being unranked, the BYU Cougars (3-0) looked every bit like a Top-25 team when they crushed the No. 12 Oregon Ducks (2-1) 81-49 at the Moda Center for the Phil Knight Invitational.  

The 32-point defeat is the worst loss for Oregon men's basketball since a 35-point defeat at Stanford on February 3, 2018. 

BYU shot a staggering 59.6% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range while the Ducks could not overcome a first half where it shot just 19.2% from the floor.

The game got off to a rough start where the Cougars took a six-point lead while holding the Ducks scoreless through four minutes. A Quincy Guerrier three-pointer with 16:00 left in the first half got Oregon on the board, and cut the BYU lead in half. 

The Syracuse transfer followed it up with a lay-in and got fouled on a drive (splitting the pair) to score the Ducks first six points and tie the game. However, BYU responded with a 9-0 run of its own, taking advantage of some sloppy Oregon offense that included missed lay-ups and an air-balled midrange jumper from Will Richardson. During the run, BYU attacked center Franck Kepnang in the pick-and-roll with two possessions resulting in buckets within the paint. 

Eventually, Oklahoma transfer De'vion Harmon stopped the bleeding with his first basket of the game before a media timeout. 

Center N'Faly Dante made his season debut after tearing his ACL last season and recorded his first points with 8:33 remaining on nice bank shot while being double-teamed. The 6-foot-11 junior finished with four points and one rebound in nine minutes while wearing a brace on his left knee. 

N'Faly Dante returns from an ACL injury against the BYU Cougars at the Moda Center in Portland.  :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Rutgers transfer Jacob Young had to leave the game early and limped into the locker room without assistance. He returned to the game after the under-four-minute media timeout in the first half. 

Head coach Dana Altman had to burn his first timeout with 7:55 left after BYU scored again on a drive from Tre'Jon Lucas to give the Cougars a 21-11 lead. It only got worse as Oregon would score just one point over the next 3:55 while allowing another six points to trail 27-12 entering another media timeout. 

At halftime, the Ducks trailed 37-18 and had more turnovers (six) than made field goals (five). Oregon shot just 19.2% from the floor in the first half and never led. 

While Oregon looked noticeably better to begin the second half, Young missed his second lay-up of the game, this time alone on a fast break, and BYU opened the half on a 12-6 run to extend the lead to 24 points. 

After a Cougars three-pointer followed by a fastbreak dunk, Dana Altman called timeout with 5:47 left in the half. Cheers of "B-Y-U" echoed throughout the Moda Center as Duck fans headed for the exits. Altman did keep a lineup of rotation players in after the timeout, however.

Soon after, Jacob Young got rim-checked on a dunk trying to respond to a step-back Cougars three-pointer from Seneca Knight. The sequence perfectly encapsulated Oregon's evening. 

Next, the Ducks will try to get back on track against Chaminade (2-0) in the opening round of the Maui Invitational in Las Vegas on Monday, Nov. 22 at 6:00 p.m. PST. 

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