Thursday, November 1
Eugene, OR
7:00 PM
University of Oregon
77
vs
58
Western Oregon (EX)
1
2
F
Western Oregon
27
31
58
Oregon
29
48
77
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Freshmen Shine In Exhibition Win
11/01/18 | Men's Basketball
Bol Bol had a team-high 19 points and Francis Okoro finished with a double-double in Oregon's 77-58 exhibition win over Western Oregon on Thursday.
EUGENE, Ore. — A short-handed Oregon men's basketball team still managed to cruise to an exhibition victory Thursday night, beating Western Oregon, 77-58, before 7,697 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks, who open the 2018-19 regular season by hosting Portland State on Tuesday, played without projected starters Payton Pritchard (bruised ribs) and Paul White (personal). But the UO men got enough highlight moments from freshman phenom Bol Bol and company to beat the Wolves, and hint at their potential over the course of this season.
"We've got a long way to go," sophomore Abu Kigab said. "We know that. We've just got to get better every day."
How It Happened: Perhaps struggling to adapt to the absence of the regulars, the Ducks went back-and-forth with the Wolves in the opening half. Bol's first field goal came on a dunk for a 6-4 lead — when he was the first man down the floor despite closing out on a corner three-point attempt at the other end. Kigab put Oregon up for good at 19-17 with a bank shot, but the lead remained just two at halftime, 29-27.
Oregon gave itself some cushion with an 11-2 run coming out of halftime. Bol had three of the five field goals during the run, capping it with a baseline jumper for a 40-29 lead. He added several highlights late in the game, slamming home an alley oop from Victor Bailey Jr. with 4:56 left, and dropping in a fadeaway three-pointer for Oregon's final field goal with 1:03 left.
Who Stood Out: Bol finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, leading five players in double figures. Francis Okoro added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Bailey scored 13, and Kenny Wooten added seven points, nine rebounds and four blocks. The Ducks shot 55.1 percent and had a 45-33 advantage on the boards, though they committed 19 turnovers with Pritchard watching from the bench.
What It Means: The absence of Pritchard, White and injured freshman Louis King and Will Richardson meant the primary rotation Thursday had to play big moments, valuable conditioning for a team looking to push the pace. The game also gave transfer Ehab Amin a chance to run the offense, good experience should he need to play on the ball later in the year.
Quotable:
Head coach Dana Altman
On the debut performance by Bol Bol
"He's got to play a lot harder, he's got to improve his positioning, his talk defensively. But he is talented, he is skilled. … We've said from the start he's a unique player, a unique talent. And there's a lot more there."
Sophomore Victor Bailey Jr.
On the second-half surge
"Our defensive intensity picked up, and our offense came with it. That's usually how it happens."
On the impact of Okoro in Oregon's rebounding edge
"Francis stepped up big. Francis is a big, strong guy, really helped us on the boards."
Up Next: The Ducks open the regular season against the Viks in MKA on Tuesday (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
The Ducks, who open the 2018-19 regular season by hosting Portland State on Tuesday, played without projected starters Payton Pritchard (bruised ribs) and Paul White (personal). But the UO men got enough highlight moments from freshman phenom Bol Bol and company to beat the Wolves, and hint at their potential over the course of this season.
"We've got a long way to go," sophomore Abu Kigab said. "We know that. We've just got to get better every day."
How It Happened: Perhaps struggling to adapt to the absence of the regulars, the Ducks went back-and-forth with the Wolves in the opening half. Bol's first field goal came on a dunk for a 6-4 lead — when he was the first man down the floor despite closing out on a corner three-point attempt at the other end. Kigab put Oregon up for good at 19-17 with a bank shot, but the lead remained just two at halftime, 29-27.
Oregon gave itself some cushion with an 11-2 run coming out of halftime. Bol had three of the five field goals during the run, capping it with a baseline jumper for a 40-29 lead. He added several highlights late in the game, slamming home an alley oop from Victor Bailey Jr. with 4:56 left, and dropping in a fadeaway three-pointer for Oregon's final field goal with 1:03 left.
The @BolManuteBol era is underway. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/pPL1mPROfu
— GoDucks (@GoDucks) November 2, 2018
Who Stood Out: Bol finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, leading five players in double figures. Francis Okoro added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Bailey scored 13, and Kenny Wooten added seven points, nine rebounds and four blocks. The Ducks shot 55.1 percent and had a 45-33 advantage on the boards, though they committed 19 turnovers with Pritchard watching from the bench.
What It Means: The absence of Pritchard, White and injured freshman Louis King and Will Richardson meant the primary rotation Thursday had to play big moments, valuable conditioning for a team looking to push the pace. The game also gave transfer Ehab Amin a chance to run the offense, good experience should he need to play on the ball later in the year.
Quotable:
Head coach Dana Altman
On the debut performance by Bol Bol
"He's got to play a lot harder, he's got to improve his positioning, his talk defensively. But he is talented, he is skilled. … We've said from the start he's a unique player, a unique talent. And there's a lot more there."
Sophomore Victor Bailey Jr.
On the second-half surge
"Our defensive intensity picked up, and our offense came with it. That's usually how it happens."
On the impact of Okoro in Oregon's rebounding edge
"Francis stepped up big. Francis is a big, strong guy, really helped us on the boards."
Up Next: The Ducks open the regular season against the Viks in MKA on Tuesday (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
WOU
ORE
FG%
.319
.551
3FG%
.194
.333
FT%
.500
.778
RB
33
45
TO
11
19
STL
9
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
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