Ducks Build Second-Half Lead, Hang On

Wednesday, December 14

Eugene, OR

6:00 PM

University of Oregon

6-5,1-1Pac-12

UC Riverside

6-4,0-0Big West

UC Riverside

Oregon

Photo by: Ian McFarland/UO Athletics

12/14/22 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Oregon broke open a tight game to lead by 17 midway through the second half Wednesday, before UC Riverside made it a one-possession game in the final 30 seconds.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Up double digits with less than three minutes to play Wednesday, the Oregon men's basketball team had to fend off a furious comeback bid by UC Riverside before hanging on to win, 71-65, before 4,738 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.

Neither team led by more than five in the first half, but the Ducks locked down defensively to open the second half and led by as much as 17. Oregon was up 68-56 with 2:29 left before the Highlanders scored nine straight to make it a one-possession game in the final 30 seconds.

"We were guarding, taking away easy baskets — and then we just let them go on a run," UO coach Dana Altman said. "…Y eah, it definitely puts a damper on it."

Brennan Rigsby had 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting to lead the UO men, and N'Faly Dante added 14 points with five rebounds and four assists. Will Richardson followed up his triple-double on Saturday with 13 points and five assists, and Rivaldo Soares added 12 points with six rebounds.

How It Happened: Rigsby scored Oregon's opening bucket, and Dante provided five points over the next two possessions for an early 7-2 lead, the Ducks' biggest of the first half. UC Riverside put together a 9-2 run to build its own five-point lead at 15-10, and the teams went back and forth the rest of the first half.

Richardson hit a three for a 26-23 UO lead, and after the Highlanders rallied back in front, Soares scored on consecutive possessions for a 31-28 lead. A dunk to close the half by Quincy Guerrier — who was in a minor car accident Wednesday afternoon and got a ride to the arena from Altman an hour before tip — gave Oregon a 36-32 lead at halftime.

The lead was still four in the opening minutes of the second half, at 41-37, when Oregon nearly turned it into a blowout. The Ducks went on a 13-2 run that included a three by Lök Wur, a blocked shot by Kel'el Ware and a thunderous alley oop from Soares to Ware. That run made it 54-39, and moments later Rigsby hit his second three-pointer of the game for a 57-40 lead.

Ducks get the dub ??#Pac12MBB | @OregonMBB pic.twitter.com/KQRgIKWlwp
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) December 15, 2022

At that point, UC Riverside was 2-of-19 shooting in the half. "I thought our energy was good, we were flying around, we knew where guys were," Altman said. "That definitely was where we got our separation. But if you're up 17 with eight, nine minutes to go, you've gotta take care of the ball."

Oregon's next six possessions included two of the team's 16 turnovers on the night, and the Highlanders closed with 12 at 59-47. Rigsby scored a few minutes later to get the lead back to 12 at 68-56, but by that point UC Riverside was a couple possessions into a run of six straight made field goals, the last making it 68-65 before the Ducks closed it out with a two late stops.

Notable: At 6-5 on the season, the Ducks are above .500 for the first time since improving to 2-1 on Nov. 15. … Richardson's two steals gave him 156 in his career, breaking a tie for fourth in UO history with Malcolm Armstead (154, 2010-11). Richardson is now alone in fourth, four behind No. 3 Luke Jackson (160, 2000-04). … Richardson also is chasing Jackson in the UO career top 10 for assists. After dishing out five Wednesday, Richardson has 399 in his career, No. 8 in UO history just behind Jackson (424, 2000-04). … Wednesday's game was the 126th of Richardson's UO career, tied for seventh in program history with Jackson and Tajuan Porter (2006-10).

Quotable:
Sophomore guard Brennan Rigsby on getting a couple threes to drop
"Will helped me out a bunch, in warmups and throughout the week, telling me little things (like) stay ready before the shot even happens. He's been a real big help for me, so I really appreciate him."

Sophomore guard Brennan Rigsby on the up-and-down start to the year
"I think we're a pretty optimistic group. We're battling every day. With some of the injuries, it sucks. And now we're getting hit with some sickness. But the biggest thing is, we're just battling every day."

Up Next: The Ducks host Portland in Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday (5 p.m., Pac-12 Network).