University of Oregon
4-1,0-0Pac-12
Santa Clara
6-0,0-0WCC
Ducks Fall to Broncos
11/24/23 | Men's Basketball
NICEVILLE, Fla. — The shorthanded Ducks battled and closed to within four points in the final minute, but ultimately fell short 88-82 to Santa Clara on Friday.
Poor first half shooting helped Santa Clara build an early lead that they held for most of the night. One of the main differences in the game was free throw shooting, as the Ducks connected on just 12-of-21 free throws compared to 19-of-27 for the Broncos. Despite the poor free throw percentage, Oregon was able to go on a nine-point run in the second half to gain the lead. However, a clutch three from the game's leading scorer Adama Bal put things out of reach in the end.
The Ducks downfall came between the seven and two minute marks of the second half, with Oregon going scoreless from the field in five minutes of gametime. As the Ducks went scoreless, the Broncos stayed on track behind 25 points from Bal to seal the victory.
How It Happened: Oregon shot just 39 percent in the first half and allowed Santa Clara to shoot 52 percent, but turned Santa Clara over six times in the half to keep the deficit at five points. Oregon started slow and missed their first three shots to give the Broncos an early eight-to-one lead at the under-16-minute timeout.
Freshman Jackson Shelstad entered the game at the 15:46 mark of the first half and immediately brought needed energy to the Ducks. Shelstad took a deep step-back three, followed by a mid-range jumper and another three to give him eight points. After the scoring run, Oregon trailed 16-15.
The Ducks struggled to get stops, but strong shooting from Kwame Evans Jr. and Keeshawn Barthelemy kept it close. The Broncos lead stayed around three points for the remainder of the half. At the four-minute mark, Evans Jr. knocked down his first three of the game to cut the lead to two.
Oregon came to within one point late in the half, but Santa Clara closed the half with some easy backdoor layups to take a five-point lead into the break.
Santa Clara scored on their first two possessions to start the second half, before Evans Jr. connected on his second three of the game to stop the run. A nine-point Oregon run then gave the Ducks their first lead of the night. Barthelemy pulled up for three, and a turnover followed by a Mahamadou Diawara and-one opportunity resulted in a two-point Oregon advantage.
The lead proved to be the final one of the night for the Ducks, as Santa Clara's Bal hit a go-ahead three that gave the Broncos the lead for good. Oregon kept the game close, staying within five points of the lead most of the half. Foul trouble and poor free throw shooting proved to be the difference down the stretch. Santa Clara built up a double-digit lead before Oregon closed to within four, but fell short in the final minutes.
Notable: Jackson Shelstad saw his first action for the Ducks and connected on his first three shot attempts to finish with eight points. Oregon was led by Barthelemy's season-high 17 points and Evans Jr.'s career-best 16 points.
Up Next: The Ducks remain in Florida and face Alabama at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday. The game will be available on FloSports.tv.
