Wednesday, December 13
Eugene, OR
7:00 PM
University of Oregon
8-3
95
vs
84
Portland State
8-3
1
2
F
Portland State
39
45
84
Oregon
50
45
95
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Find Their Rhythm in Victory Against Portland State
12/13/17 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. – With sharp shooting and career-high performances, the Oregon men's basketball team edged out a red-hot Portland State team, 95-84, Wednesday night at Matthew Knight Arena in front of 6,905 fans.
How it Happened: The Ducks (8-3) and the Vikings kicked off the first half with a battle of threes, with Oregon scoring four in a row. Both teams went back and forth for the lead, but the Ducks pulled away and came out on top at the end of the first half, finishing with a 50-39 lead.
UO held the Vikings (8-3) to just 1-for-11 shooting in the final seven minutes of the half.
Freshman Kenny Wooten came out hot with a pair of blocks, while Payton Pritchard shined from behind the arc, going 4-for-4 in the first half. Overall, the Ducks combined for 11 three-pointers in the game, eight coming in the first half.
In the second half, after a nearly five-minute scoring drought for both teams, the Ducks struck first on a jumper from Elijah Brown. Portland State clawed back within two, 60-58, with 12 minutes to go, but the Ducks didn't give away their lead for the rest of the game, thanks to Troy Brown Jr.'s solid rebounding and hot shooting from Pritchard.
Who Stood Out: Oregon had 27 assists on 32 field goals.
Wooten became the fourth Duck in program history with a career-high six blocked shots in a single game. He also shot perfectly from the field, going 8-for-8, to finish with 18 points. Troy Brown Jr. set a career-high in assists with 9, and recorded his third double-double in as many games.
Pritchard was 4-of-4 from three-point range in the first half finishing 6-of-11 overall for 18 points, recording his ninth-straight game in double digits. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
Elijah Brown topped his season high with 22 points and five assists, while Paul White added 15 points.
Highlight Reel: Wooten finished with six slam-dunks against the Vikings, accounting for 12 of his 18 points. Troy Brown Jr. was one assist shy of a triple-double, scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Ducks combined to shoot 50 percent from the field and made 11 three-point baskets.
Quotable:
Junior Forward Paul White
On Kenny Wooten's standout performance…
"At a young age, Kenny Wooten has a ridiculous ability to block shots and finish all those dunks inside. You saw a little bit of what he's capable of today, but the sky is the limit for him."
Head Coach Dana Altman
On improving their game…
"We're getting better. We're making better plays. We're making more plays for each other. We knew we had our work cut out for us. We have a lot of room to grow defensively."
Up Next: The Ducks fly South to face the 9-2 Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday at 3 p.m. Pacific (CBS Sports Net).
How it Happened: The Ducks (8-3) and the Vikings kicked off the first half with a battle of threes, with Oregon scoring four in a row. Both teams went back and forth for the lead, but the Ducks pulled away and came out on top at the end of the first half, finishing with a 50-39 lead.
UO held the Vikings (8-3) to just 1-for-11 shooting in the final seven minutes of the half.
Freshman Kenny Wooten came out hot with a pair of blocks, while Payton Pritchard shined from behind the arc, going 4-for-4 in the first half. Overall, the Ducks combined for 11 three-pointers in the game, eight coming in the first half.
In the second half, after a nearly five-minute scoring drought for both teams, the Ducks struck first on a jumper from Elijah Brown. Portland State clawed back within two, 60-58, with 12 minutes to go, but the Ducks didn't give away their lead for the rest of the game, thanks to Troy Brown Jr.'s solid rebounding and hot shooting from Pritchard.
Who Stood Out: Oregon had 27 assists on 32 field goals.
Wooten became the fourth Duck in program history with a career-high six blocked shots in a single game. He also shot perfectly from the field, going 8-for-8, to finish with 18 points. Troy Brown Jr. set a career-high in assists with 9, and recorded his third double-double in as many games.
Pritchard was 4-of-4 from three-point range in the first half finishing 6-of-11 overall for 18 points, recording his ninth-straight game in double digits. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
Elijah Brown topped his season high with 22 points and five assists, while Paul White added 15 points.
Highlight Reel: Wooten finished with six slam-dunks against the Vikings, accounting for 12 of his 18 points. Troy Brown Jr. was one assist shy of a triple-double, scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Ducks combined to shoot 50 percent from the field and made 11 three-point baskets.
Quotable:
Junior Forward Paul White
On Kenny Wooten's standout performance…
"At a young age, Kenny Wooten has a ridiculous ability to block shots and finish all those dunks inside. You saw a little bit of what he's capable of today, but the sky is the limit for him."
Head Coach Dana Altman
On improving their game…
"We're getting better. We're making better plays. We're making more plays for each other. We knew we had our work cut out for us. We have a lot of room to grow defensively."
Up Next: The Ducks fly South to face the 9-2 Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday at 3 p.m. Pacific (CBS Sports Net).
Team Stats
PSU
ORE
FG%
.378
.500
3FG%
.382
.407
FT%
.789
.769
RB
35
43
TO
15
18
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
6
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballNate Bittle | Postgame vs. Omaha
Monday, December 29
Dana Altman | Postgame vs. Omaha
Monday, December 29
Kwame Evans Jr. | Postgame vs. Portland
Thursday, December 18
Dana Altman | Postgame vs. Portland
Thursday, December 18
