University of Oregon
13-8, 4-4
Utah
11-9, 5-3
Ducks Come Back in Utah
01/31/19 | Men's Basketball
The Oregon men’s basketball team claimed a 78-72 win over Utah after overcoming a 14-point first half deficit Thursday in Salt Lake City.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Oregon men's basketball team claimed a 78-72 win over Utah after overcoming a 14-point first half deficit Thursday at the Huntsman Center.
How It Happened: Early in the game, Oregon (13-8, 4-4 Pac-12) struggled to find an answer as Utah got hot from deep. The home team extended its lead to as many as 14 points after knocking down a staggering six three-pointers in a little over 10 minutes.
But after Utah (12-9, 5-3 Pac-12) had its moment, the rest of the half belonged to Oregon. Down 30-16 with 6:42 to play, Oregon closed the period on a 22-4 run behind a sensational performance from Will Richardson.
Louis King set the stage for Richardson by settling down the Salt Lake City crowd after sinking a pair of free throws with 6:22 left. The next possession, Richardson came into his own, driving to the bucket and finishing artfully at the rim. The freshman would do this four more times during the remainder of the half, to send Oregon into the locker room with a 38-34 advantage.
Richardson finished the half with an impressive 15 points on six of seven shooting. The lefty also had four rebounds, two steals and one block after the first twenty minutes of the game.
At the beginning of the second half, the Utes kept the Ducks at an arm's length, not letting the score exceed a five point differential until the 11:13 mark. Beginning with a Kenny Wooten jumper and ending with an Ehab Amin dunk, the Ducks went on a 9-0 run to take an 11-point lead.
Oregon would extend their lead to as many as 13 points, but Utah posted late second half surge, hitting three field goals in a row to come within four points with 20 seconds remaining. However, Payton Pritchard was solid from the free throw line down the stretch, hitting four in a row, to secure the victory for the Ducks.
Who Stood Out: Will Richardson scored a season-high 17 points and registered a season-best three blocks … Payton Pritchard added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, tying his season-high in boards … Paul White and Ehab Amin also scored in double-digits with 14 and 13, respectively.
Notable: With three blocks tonight, Kenny Wooten moves into third on UO's career blocked shots with 119, passing Blair Rasmussen (116/1981-85) … With 12 points tonight, Paul White has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games … Ehab Amin scored all 13 of his points in the second half … The Ducks scored 29 points on 19 Utah turnovers ... "Mr. March" Tyler Dorsey, a member of Oregon's 2017 NCAA Final Four team, and a half dozen of his Atlanta Hawks teammates sat behind Oregon's bench. Dorsey spoke to the team following Thursday's win. Atlanta plays at Utah Friday night.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, Head Coach
"The press really helped us get energized. On a night we didn't shoot very well, we needed something to energize us."
Paul White, Senior
"The guards set the tone with their defensive pressure. Will, he was really special tonight making plays and scoring baskets."
Up Next: The Ducks travel east where they will face Colorado on Saturday (6:30 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).
