Ducks' 15 Steals Leads to Rout of UCLA

Sunday, January 26

Eugene, OR

2:00 PM

University of Oregon

17-4,6-2Pac-12

UCLA

10-10,3-4Pac-12

UCLA

Oregon

Photo by: Samuel Marshall

01/26/20 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score - Oregon 96, UCLA 75

EUGENE, Ore. – Chris Duarte recorded another impressive stat line while Payton Pritchard became the winningest player in program history as No. 12 Oregon rolled past UCLA 96-75 Sunday afternoon in front of 9,309 at Matthew Knight Arena.

Duarte, who had 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals in Thursday night's win over USC, led the Ducks (17-4, 6-2 Pac-12) with 24 points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists.

"We definitely need him," said Pritchard. "Chris has a special talent, he's athletic, shoots when he gets going, and defensively this week he's shown what he's capable of, so now as a team we have a whole new standard."

Pritchard added 19 points, five rebounds and six assists as he won his school record 98^th game in an Oregon uniform, breaking a tie with Johnathan Loyd, who won 97 games between 2010-14.

The Ducks also reached a couple of program benchmarks on Sunday. The win guaranteed Oregon's 10^th consecutive winning season for the first time in 88 years. The only other time Oregon has had 10 consecutive winning season was from 1923 to 1932.

The win also assured that Dana Altman will have his 23^rd consecutive winning season as a head coach. He is one of just six active Division I head coaches with a winning record for the last 23 consecutive seasons.

As a team, the Ducks had a season-high 15 steals.

"In the first half our defensive activity was really good," said Altman. "In the second half we just exchanged baskets so I was a little disappointed in our defensive intensity, but the first half we did a really good job."

How it Happened: Trailing 9-7 early in the first half, Oregon went on a 14-0 run and never looked back. Duarte and Pritchard each had seven points in that run.
Following a UCLA field goal, the Ducks used a 16-3 run to expand their lead to 37-14 with 5:21 left in the period.

The Ducks led 48-26 at the half. Duarte had 20 points, five steals, five rebounds and four assists in the period, while Pritchard added 13 points.

In the second half, UCLA never got closer than 15 points. Will Richardson led the Ducks with nine points in the second period. He finished the game with 16 points, while Shakur Juiston added 11.

Who Stood Out: Duarte's six steals give him 21 in the last four games.

Notable: The 15 steals led to the Ducks forcing a season-high 23 turnovers. … Oregon's 22-point halftime lead was its second-largest of the season (24, Alabama State). … Prior to the game there was a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant, who perished in a helicopter crash in Southern California Sunday morning.

Quotable:
Sophomore guard Will Richardson on breaking out of a shooting slump

"Just being aggressive and my teammates having a lot more confidence in me, them believing in me gives me confidence to just keep shooting. I know I've had bad games so I'm just focusing on defense."

Up Next: Oregon visits California Thursday at 6 p.m. (Pac-12 Network).

- GoDucks.com -