Oregon Routs Montana 87-47 to Snap Skid

The Ducks dominated on both sides of the ball to get back on track in Matthew Knight Arena.

First Half

Montana is a team that loves to shoot the ball, and it was evident quickly. The first two Montana possessions were two deep three-pointers that hit to make it a swift 6-0 lead. The Ducks quickly got into rhythm on both sides of the ball. A few tough mid-range jumpers from starting guards Will Richardson and De’Vion Harmon got the offense in a groove, starting an insane streak of 12 made field goals in a row.

At the same time, Montana was on an opposite streak of six straight misses. The Oregon defense began its full-court press early and forced the Grizzlies to take low-percentage shots late in the shot clock. After the hot start from Montana, the Ducks were cruising to the tune of an 11-0 run halfway through the first half.

Transfer guard Jacob Young began his Oregon career as a starter but has since been moved to the bench rotation. Young came in and kept the energy up for Oregon, getting back-to-back and-one opportunities and converting them both for a quick six points. The starting Oregon backcourt of Richardson and Harmon kept the buckets rolling, combining for 22 first-half points, four three-pointers and a fantastic 8-of-11 from the field.

Even after the offense cooled off a bit, the Ducks’ defense was relentless. Oregon’s constant pressure and traps on defense forced eight turnovers, and Montana ended the half making just one of its last seven field goals. After 20 minutes, the Ducks nearly doubled their opponents’ total with a score of 46-24.

Second Half

Montana’s Robby Beasley III started the second half hot. He connected on a three-pointer early in the first half, and in the second he got fouled down low to add another three-point play. The Ducks followed suit and answered just as quickly. Young grabbed his third and fourth steals of the night and outran everyone on the fast break for a few coast-to-coast buckets.

N’Faly Dante continued to be heavily involved in Oregon’s game plan, quickly putting up five points and grabbing two rebounds in his first four minutes of work in the second half.

Oregon just kept on stringing together runs thanks to the quick-paced offense. The Ducks started the half shooting 8-of-10 while limiting the Grizzlies to 3-of-10 from the floor in the same time span. The Grizzlies could never get comfortable on offense, and it showed in the final score. Montana guard Lonnell Martin Jr. led his team with 12 points but shot 4-of-11 with nine of those shots coming from beyond the arc.

Oregon would go on to win 87-47, shooting an incredible 66% from the field. The Ducks did just about everything right Monday night after doing almost nothing right in their past few games. 

Dana Altman’s squad saw some bounce back games from a few players including Young and Harmon, but the player of the game had to be Oregon’s star senior Will Richardson. 

The Ducks’ point guard really struggled to get his game going during the road trip to Las Vegas, making his performance Monday night even more admirable. Richardson ended with 18 points on four three-pointers, 70% shooting from the field, and one clear message: I’m back. 

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