Oregon Overcomes Slow Start, Dominates Florida A&M 80-45 in Season Opener

Head Coach Dana Altman kicks off his 13th season in Eugene with a win.

The Oregon Ducks Men's Basketball Team overcame a slow first half to easily beat Florida A&M 80-45 in the season opener Monday night in Eugene.

It was an up-and-down first half for the Ducks. The first score of the day for the Ducks came on a put-back layup by starting center N'Faly Dante -- a sign of things to come for the rest of the first half.

Dante looked like the best player on the floor for the first 20 minutes. He scored 11 points on five-of-six shooting from the floor, along with five rebounds and three offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounding was one area the Ducks dominated in the first half, winning the battle on the offensive glass eight to three.

But a big reason Oregon had so many offensive boards was because of their shooting woes. 

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After Colorado transfer guard Keeshawn Barthelemy hit the first three-point attempt of the day, Oregon missed their next 13 three-pointers to end the half shooting 7.1% from downtown. Veteran guard Will Richardson missed all four of his three-point shots in the first half, heading to the locker room with just two points.

Highly-touted five-star recruit Kel'el Ware made his Oregon debut and looked promising. Ware played 10 minutes in the first, scored four points and blocked two shots. 

The Ducks led by as many as 16 in the first half. But poor shooting streaks and seven points from Florida A&M forward Jaylen Bates meant the Ducks went into halftime with a slender 36-25 lead. 

The shooting struggles followed Oregon out of the locker room at halftime. It was a slow two-of-six shooting start to the second half for Oregon, with the two makes both coming from Dante under the basket and two more three-point misses.

It was a rocky start to the second half for the Ducks. Both Rivaldo Soares and Quincy Guerrier were forced to leave the game with injuries within two minutes of each another, but both were able to return to the hardwood later on in the evening. 

But the cloudy sky seemed to clear for Oregon with a strong string of possessions from Ware. The true freshman nailed a catch-and-shoot three-pointer, then assisted fellow big-man Nate Bittle under the basket the next time down. Ware's burst of energy kicked off a 14-0 scoring run, ballooning Oregon's lead to 60-35 with nine minutes to go.

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One thing that stayed consistent all game for the Ducks was strong defense. Florida A&M turned the ball over 17 times. Oregon had 17 steals, and four different players swiped at least two steals.

After scoring 14 straight, the Ducks were able to cruise to the finish line and win by a final score of 80-45. 

Dante led all players in points, rebounds and steals. His 16 points and 10 rebounds, along with three steals earned him his first double-double of the season. Dante only had three double-doubles all last season.

Oregon's only other double-figure scorer was Barthelemy, who totaled 13 points on two three-pointers in his team debut.

For Florida A&M, guard Jordan Tillmon led the way with eight points.

The Ducks will be back in action in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday night against the UC Irvine Anteaters. 

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