Wednesday, December 18
Eugene, OR
8:00 PM
University of Oregon
9-2,0-0Pac-12
81
vs
48
Montana
4-6,0-0Big Sky
1
2
F
Montana
24
24
48
Oregon
37
44
81
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Dante Debuts As Several Ducks Shine
12/18/19 | Men's Basketball
Touted freshman N'Faly Dante helped Oregon beat Montana on Wednesday, a victory that featured contributions from up and down the roster.
EUGENE, Ore. — On a night the Oregon basketball team's newest player made his debut, a bunch of the other Ducks made their presence known as well.
N'Faly Dante had 11 points in his UO debut Wednesday, as the No. 8 Ducks beat visiting Montana, 81-48 in Matthew Knight Arena. Francis Okoro led the Ducks with 12 points and 17 rebounds and Payton Pritchard had 14 points with seven assists, while Will Richardson also scored 14.
"I like what we're doing," UO coach Dana Altman said. "I like the ball movement at times, I like the effort defensively at times. We've just got to keep taking steps in the right direction."
How It Happened: Early turnovers plagued the Ducks (9-2), but they got rolling a few minutes into the opening half. It was 12-12 when Chris Duarte hit a three-pointer that gave Oregon the lead for good, and baskets by Duarte and Richardson made it 19-12. That's when Dante entered for his first collegiate action, and he made his presence felt immediately, backing down a defender for a layin. Pritchard scored on Oregon's next trip to cap an 11-0 run that put the Ducks firmly in control.
After Montana ended the run, Dante stuffed a dunk to answer for Oregon, and he finished an alleyoop from Anthony Mathis before adding a free throw for a three-point play. That put the Ducks up 28-15, and a putback by Dante on the final possession made it 37-24 at halftime. At the break, Dante and Okoro had combined for 18 points and eight rebounds — seven of those boards by Okoro, in what he said was his best game yet as a collegian.
"Francis, he's probably one of the hardest workers on the team, so to see it pay off is great," Richardson said. "You can see he's frustrated sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't go. But he's getting more comfortable, and it's going to be scary to see what he can be in the future."
Duarte and Okoro scored out of the break for a 41-24 lead, and a few minutes later CJ Walker rebounded a miss and fed Pritchard for a three-pointer that made it 52-33. It was 59-41 when Walker emphatically slammed home an alleyoop from Duarte, sparking a 16-0 run for the Ducks. The run included a three-pointer by Mathis, a hook shot from Dante and a basket by Richardson to cap it.
Oregon's penultimate field goal was a three-pointer by Duarte, on a pass by Dante. That was the freshman big man's only assist of the game, but he could have had at least three others had shots fallen for teammates.
"You can see he's got a pretty good knack for passing," Altman said. "I thought defensively he was a step behind, partly due to conditioning, partly the speed of the game he's going to have to make a transition to. But you can see his natural talent. As he gets in shape and gets more of our sets, he and Francis give us that physicality we lacked."
Who Stood Out: Okoro's double-double was the second of his career, and his 17 rebounds were the most for a UO player since Chris Boucher had 19 against Montana in December 2016. Richardson was remarkably efficient, making 6-of-8 shots while posting a 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Mathis and Pritchard each had three of the Ducks' 12 steals.
What It Means: Already the eighth-ranked team in the country, Oregon has added a big, explosive post in Dante, making the Ducks even more formidable as Pac-12 play approaches. With Dante filling a hole in the UO front line, Richardson said the team's biggest potential kryptonite at this point could be potential overconfidence.
"Not letting it get to our head, knowing we're a pretty good team this year," Richardson said. "We're a pretty good, talented team. But we've got to do all the little things if we want to make it far."
Up Next: The Ducks remain at home to host Texas Southern on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
N'Faly Dante had 11 points in his UO debut Wednesday, as the No. 8 Ducks beat visiting Montana, 81-48 in Matthew Knight Arena. Francis Okoro led the Ducks with 12 points and 17 rebounds and Payton Pritchard had 14 points with seven assists, while Will Richardson also scored 14.
"I like what we're doing," UO coach Dana Altman said. "I like the ball movement at times, I like the effort defensively at times. We've just got to keep taking steps in the right direction."
How It Happened: Early turnovers plagued the Ducks (9-2), but they got rolling a few minutes into the opening half. It was 12-12 when Chris Duarte hit a three-pointer that gave Oregon the lead for good, and baskets by Duarte and Richardson made it 19-12. That's when Dante entered for his first collegiate action, and he made his presence felt immediately, backing down a defender for a layin. Pritchard scored on Oregon's next trip to cap an 11-0 run that put the Ducks firmly in control.
After Montana ended the run, Dante stuffed a dunk to answer for Oregon, and he finished an alleyoop from Anthony Mathis before adding a free throw for a three-point play. That put the Ducks up 28-15, and a putback by Dante on the final possession made it 37-24 at halftime. At the break, Dante and Okoro had combined for 18 points and eight rebounds — seven of those boards by Okoro, in what he said was his best game yet as a collegian.
"Francis, he's probably one of the hardest workers on the team, so to see it pay off is great," Richardson said. "You can see he's frustrated sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't go. But he's getting more comfortable, and it's going to be scary to see what he can be in the future."
Duarte and Okoro scored out of the break for a 41-24 lead, and a few minutes later CJ Walker rebounded a miss and fed Pritchard for a three-pointer that made it 52-33. It was 59-41 when Walker emphatically slammed home an alleyoop from Duarte, sparking a 16-0 run for the Ducks. The run included a three-pointer by Mathis, a hook shot from Dante and a basket by Richardson to cap it.
Oregon's penultimate field goal was a three-pointer by Duarte, on a pass by Dante. That was the freshman big man's only assist of the game, but he could have had at least three others had shots fallen for teammates.
"You can see he's got a pretty good knack for passing," Altman said. "I thought defensively he was a step behind, partly due to conditioning, partly the speed of the game he's going to have to make a transition to. But you can see his natural talent. As he gets in shape and gets more of our sets, he and Francis give us that physicality we lacked."
Who Stood Out: Okoro's double-double was the second of his career, and his 17 rebounds were the most for a UO player since Chris Boucher had 19 against Montana in December 2016. Richardson was remarkably efficient, making 6-of-8 shots while posting a 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Mathis and Pritchard each had three of the Ducks' 12 steals.
What It Means: Already the eighth-ranked team in the country, Oregon has added a big, explosive post in Dante, making the Ducks even more formidable as Pac-12 play approaches. With Dante filling a hole in the UO front line, Richardson said the team's biggest potential kryptonite at this point could be potential overconfidence.
"Not letting it get to our head, knowing we're a pretty good team this year," Richardson said. "We're a pretty good, talented team. But we've got to do all the little things if we want to make it far."
Up Next: The Ducks remain at home to host Texas Southern on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
Mont
Oregon
FG%
.365
.542
3FG%
.235
.381
FT%
.545
.529
RB
24
40
TO
20
15
STL
6
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
C
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