Defense Steps Up As Ducks Grind Out 66-53 Win At Cal

Thursday, February 1

Berkeley, CA

6:00 PM

University of Oregon

15-7,5-4Pac-12

California

7-16,1-9Pac-12

Oregon

California

Defense Steps Up As Ducks Grind Out 66-53 Win At Cal

02/01/18 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score: Oregon 66, Cal 53 2017-18 Season Stats

The Ducks held Cal to 53 points, the fewest points allowed all season, and 33 percent shooting during Thursday nights win.

BERKELEY, Calif. – The Oregon men's basketball opened their weekend road trip through the Golden State by grinding out a 66-53 win over California Thursday night in front of 7,531 fans at the Haas Pavilion.

Cal's 53 points scored marks the fewest points allowed by the Ducks all season as UO held the Bears to 33 percent shooting on the night.

How it Happened: The Ducks (15-7, 5-4) were dominant from the onset, opening the game on a 9-0 run. Oregon held Cal to 0-of-6 shooting throughout the first six and a half minutes, while forcing six turnovers by the Golden Bears.

The Ducks maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the first half, until a layup from Paul White sparked a 7-0 run to extend UO's lead to 31-16, their largest of the game. MiKyle McIntosh scored all five of his first half points during UO's quick run.

Cal managed to get within single-digits at the end of the first half thanks to a last second layup from Darius McNeill to make it 34-26. Despite being held scoreless for the final two minutes of the half, Oregon finished the opening period shooting 63 percent from the floor, including 5-of-9 from three-point range.

Cal kept it within 10 throughout most of the second half, but could not take advantage of UO's cold-shooting. The Ducks went nearly five and a half minutes without scoring, but held the Bears to only two buckets during that span to maintain a 43-37 lead.

Oregon continued to shut the Bears down in the second half holding Cal to 28 percent shooting, 9-of-32 from the floor, to secure the win.

Who Stood Out: MiKyle McIntosh recorded his third double-double in the last six games with 13 points and 11 rebounds … Troy Brown led the team with 16 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals … Elijah Brown scored 10 points in the second half to finish the game with 15 ... Payton Pritchard had a solid all-around performance recording five points, six rebounds and four assists while tying his season-high with four steals.

Notable: The Ducks committed only six turnovers in the second half, one in the final 10 minutes, compared to 11 in the first half ... With his 3 blocks, Kenny Wooten passed Cal's Michael Stewart (1994) for seventh in Pac-12 freshman blocks with 61 on the season ... The Ducks' 10 steals at Cal marks the fourth time this season UO has recorded 10 or more steals.

Quotable: Head Coach Dana Altman
On tonight's game at Cal…
"We've always had a lot of trouble here. It's never been an easy place for us. So we were fortunate to get the win, but we need to play better on Saturday. We need to grow as a team and play smarter."

Up Next: The Ducks close out their weekend road trip at Stanford Saturday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m. PT (FOX).