Ducks Win 27th in a Row at Home

Thursday, December 31

Eugene, OR

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

7-1,2-0Pac-12

California

5-5,0-3Pac-12

California

Oregon

Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto

12/31/20 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Oregon Cal Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – Eugene Omoruyi kept the Ducks in the game early and Chris Duarte took over late to lead No. 21 Oregon to an 82-69 win against California Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena.

Omoruyi scored 26 points and had a career-high five steals, while Duarte added 19 points as Oregon won its 27^th game in a row on its home floor.

"I thought Eugene did a lot of good things and the five steals - his activity there was really good," said head coach Dana Altman. "He was really unstoppable inside."

How it Happened: Tied at 49-49 with 12:45 to play, the Ducks (7-1, 2-0) took the lead the lead for good on back-to-back three-point plays by Aaron Estrada and Chandler Lawson.

The teams then traded baskets before Duarte took over in the final 5:18 when he hit four three-pointers and a pair of free throws to account for 14 of his 19 points.

Cal (5-5, 0-3) used a barrage of threes in the first half to take its largest lead, 33-26, with 2:29 remaining.

The Ducks ended the half on a 10-2 run that included Estrada's three from just over half court that swished through at the buzzer, giving Oregon a 36-35 lead at the break.

The Golden Bears were 7-of-14 from three-point range in the opening period, including four from Matt Bradley, who scored 15 of his 21 points in the frame.

The Ducks countered with Omoruyi's 15 first half points, all of which either came in the paint or at the free throw line.

Who Stood Out: Mr. Consistency Eric Williams Jr. had 13 point and six rebounds. LJ Figueroa added 11 points.

Notable: Altman passed Louisville hall of famer Denny Crum for 23^rd on the NCAA career Division I wins list with 676. Next up is former Cal and Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, who had 677 career wins.

Williams Jr. became the third member of the 2020-21 squad to reach 1,000 points in his collegiate career, joining Figueroa and Amauri Hardy … Williams Jr. is one of just 19 players nationally and is the only player in the Pac-12 with seven or more games scoring at least 11 points with six rebounds this season.

Freshman Jalen Terry was unavailable for Thursday's game.

Quotable:
Senior forward Eugene Omoruyi
"Being able to go home and see family really helped me lock back in."

Up Next: Oregon hosts Stanford Saturday at 7 p.m. (ESPNU).

- GoDucks.com -