University of Oregon
5-3
Nebraska Omaha
3-7
Hot Shooting Night Lifts Ducks Past Mavericks
12/08/18 | Men's Basketball
Louis King recorded 11 points in his Oregon debut as the Ducks beat Nebraska Omaha, 84-61, on Saturday
EUGENE, Ore. – Four Ducks scored in double figures including a career-high 20 points for Kenny Wooten as the Oregon men's basketball team defeated Nebraska Omaha, 84-61, in front of 8,052 fans at Matthew Knight Arena Saturday.
How It Happened: The Ducks were getting shots to fall against the Mavericks, but it was their hustle game that helped them defeat Omaha by a convincing 23-point margin.
After Kenny Wooten got the Ducks on the board first with a put-back slam, Omaha stuck around for a little bit, even taking a early one-point lead at the 16:52 mark. However, the Ducks scored eight of the next 11 points to regain the lead for good. Five of those points came from freshman Louis King playing in his first game of the year.
Oregon went on to have a 13-0 run to take a 25-10 lead, capping the surge with a jumper in the paint from Will Richardson. The visiting Mavericks got no closer than 13 points the remainder of the half with Oregon taking a 44-23 advantage into the break.
The Ducks carried their momentum into the second half, building their lead up to 24 at the 15:47 mark off a Bol Bol dunk. The Mavericks knocked down a few three-pointers to get within 14 points, 71-57, with 4:49 remaining, but that was the closest they would get as Oregon closed out the game shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field.
Bol finished the night with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, good for his fourth double-double. He has now scored in double figures in all eight game of the season.
Behind 11 points from King and a season-high 16 points from Victor Bailey, Jr., the Ducks posted a 35-10 scoring advantage off the bench. Bailey was 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line and added career-high six rebounds in the game. Abu Kigab, in the first start of his career, grabbed a career-best seven rebounds.
Oregon made a point of the getting the ball inside and the effort paid off with a 34-14 scoring advantage in the paint. The Ducks also had 10 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points.
Notable: Abu Kigab and Will Richardson joined the Ducks' starting lineup for the first time in their careers … Louis King saw his first minutes in a Duck uniform … The Ducks shot a season-high 58.9 percent from the field and an impressive 52.2 percent from beyond the arc … It was the sixth time the Ducks have scored 80 or more points … 84 point ties the Ducks' season-high for most points scored in a game.
Who Stood Out: Kenny Wooten scored a career-high 20 points, replacing his previous career high of 19 points (11/17/17 vs. Alabama State) … This is also Wooten's second time this season scoring in double digits, he previously scored 12 against Syracuse.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, Head Coach
On the starting lineup change...
"We just wanted to change things up. We'll see Wednesday if we want to change it again. We just wanted a little change and wanted to take a little pressure off of Ehab Amin and Paul White. I think they've been pressing a little bit. Being seniors trying to do the right things. I just wanted to take a little pressure off of them."
On if Louis King gave the team a lift...
"Absolutely. He came in and right from the start played some nice plays offensively. His energy defensively I thought was pretty good. He was anxious and hungry to play. I thought he really gave us a big boost. He's got a really good shot. Him and Payton Pritchard have the best numbers in practice for shooting the ball. Victor Bailey Jr. is right behind him. Those three guys can really shoot it."
Victor Bailey Jr., Sophomore
On the overall effort on rebounds….
"We beat them on the boards. (Coach Altman) has been harping on us since the Houston game about how important rebounds are, and how it's been hurting us. So Abu Kigab and myself, as well as the whole team, took it upon ourselves to really work on rebounding. Some guys get them on offense, some on defense, we're just trying to all play our roles."
Abu Kigab, Sophomore
On getting to be in the starting lineup...
"We've had a lot of slow starts this season, and I think I bring a lot of energy when I play, so I definitely feel like I helped out tonight."
Up Next: The Ducks will host San Diego on Wednesday (7 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).
