Oregon Survives Late Surge from Utah, Prevails 80-77

The Ducks knocked down a season-high 13 three-pointers to knock off the Utes.

First Half:

After snapping a historic 10-game losing streak in their previous game against Oregon State, the Utah Utes were determined to flip the script and start a winning streak. Gabe Madsen set the tone early, sinking three triples in the first three minutes, putting the Ducks on their back foot immediately. A 9-2 run would turn the tide back in Oregon’s favor, off of incredible effort from Will Richardson.

Despite the early onslaught, scoring from beyond the arc cooled down quickly, and a war of attrition began. Oregon got a lot of scoring production in the paint, accompanied by hounding defense that slowed down a blistering Utah offense, to take an eventual lead by the 13-minute mark.

The phrase, “Live by the three, die by the three,” would encapsulate Utah’s first half. Despite Madsen’s hot shooting early, the Utes missed all but one of their eight attempts from beyond the arc for the rest of the half. Conversely, the Ducks began to explode from downtown, as Jacob Young and Rivaldo Soares drilled back-to-back threes that stretched Oregon’s lead to 13. The Ducks finished the half shooting an incredible 7-11 from three-point range.

Six consecutive turnovers by both teams slowed the action down until Richardson did what he does best and nailed a deep three with a hand in his face to score Oregon’s first basket in two-and-a-half minutes. The Pac-12’s best three-point shooter would add a Showtime Lakers-esque assist as he set up a vicious dunk to De’Vion Harmon immediately after to keep the Ducks double-digit cushion.

At the half, the Ducks led 43-31, paced by Richardson’s 13 points, and three treys.

Second Half:

The hot three-point shooting for the Ducks cooled off to start the second half as despite an early make by Harmon, Young and Quincy Guerrier both missed their next attempts, stalling the Ducks offense for the time being.

The Utes pounced on this opportunity and cut into the Ducks lead, capitalizing on second-chance points as well as Oregon’s mistakes. Despite being outrebounded by nine at half, Utes Head Coach Craig Smith clearly made it a point of emphasis as after five minutes the Utes begun to make their presence felt on the glass.

The Ducks' sloppiness continued, turning the ball over and failing to capitalize on second-chance opportunities. Branden Carlson showed off his range, nailing a three to cut the Ducks halftime lead in half.

Threes would come in twos for the Ducks on Saturday night, as another pair of back-to-back threes put the Ducks back in a comfortable position. A series of three free throws from a technical foul and a shooting foul on Young put the Ducks back up twelve at the nine-minute mark.

In the final five minutes, the Utes dominated offensively and defensively, forcing the Ducks into costly turnovers. Madsen and Rollie Worster combined for seven unanswered points to make it a three-point game with a minute left.

Within the last minute, the Utes brought the game within a point, as mistakes piled up for the Ducks. The teams traded free throws, before the final possession was placed in Oregon’s hand. After the Ducks turned the ball over on an earlier inbound attempt, the Jon M. Huntsman Center was roaring, eagerly anticipating what could be one of the best comebacks in the Pac-12 this year. Utah had trailed by as many as 14 with five minutes to go and had a chance to pull off the comeback.

A pass that would make the greatest Oregon quarterbacks happy enabled Young to hit the final shot of the game, a simple layup that would finally put the Ducks out of reach despite the Utes' best efforts 80-77.

The Men of Oregon begin a three-game homestand on Thursday as they look to avenge an early season loss against the Stanford Cardinal.

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