Monday, November 6
Las Vegas, NV
1:30 PM
University of Oregon
1-0,0-0Pac-12
82
vs
71
Georgia
0-1,0-0SEC
1
2
F
Georgia
30
41
71
Oregon
40
42
82
Photo by: GoDucks.com
Dominant Post Play Fuels Opening Win
11/06/23 | Men's Basketball
N'Faly Dante and Nate Bittle combined for 29 points and 30 rebounds as the UO men opened their season Monday with an 82-71 win over Georgia.
LAS VEGAS — N'Faly Dante was one of four Ducks to score in double-figures and had the most rebounds in a game for Oregon in nearly 50 years as the UO men's basketball team opened its 2023-24 season with an 82-71 win Monday over Georgia at T-Mobile Arena.
Dante had 16 points and 21 rebounds as the Ducks dominated the paint to beat the Bulldogs. Nate Bittle added 13 points with nine rebounds to help Oregon record a 48-20 advantage in points in the paint and a 63-41 edge on the boards.
Dante's 21 rebounds were the most for Oregon since Gerald Willett had 21 against Duquesne in 1974. Brennan Rigsby matched Dante with 16 points to help lead the Ducks in scoring, and Jermaine Couisnard added 14 points with five assists.
Playing without freshman guard Jackson Shelstad due to a knee injury, the UO men led by as much as 17 in the first half and by 20 at one point in the second half. The biggest blemish on the day was 14-of-29 free-throw shooting for Oregon.
How It Happened: After Georgia scored the first point of the game, Oregon went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for good. Couisnard had buckets to start and end the run, and Bittle had two baskets including a three-pointer.
The Bulldogs closed within 11-8, but Oregon answered with another 10 in a row capped by a basket for Kario Oquendo against his former team. Freshman Kwame Evans Jr. hit a three-pointer moments later and the UO men had their biggest lead of the first half, 28-11.
From there, Georgia finally found its three-point shooting range, and the Bulldogs mounted a 17-4 run to close within 32-28. The Ducks scored the final six points of the first half, however, including a running bank shot at the buzzer from Keeshawn Barthelemy to make it 40-30.
With the lead down to four again early in the second half, 42-38, Bittle scored twice during a 9-2 run that regained some cushion for the Ducks. It was 54-46 when Rigsby threw down a thunderous two-handed dunk that sparked a 9-0 run by Oregon, and Oquendo later hit a three-pointer for the biggest lead of the game at 67-47.
Late in the game Georgia mustered one last run, and the Bulldogs closed within 79-71 with 1:04 to play. But the Ducks closed it out, forcing a turnover that led to a dunk from Couisnard for the game's final points.
Notable: The UO single-game record for rebounds is 32, by Jim Loscutoff against Brigham Young in 1955. … Dante became the first Pac-12 player with 20 rebounds in a regular-season nonconference game against a major conference opponent since 2001. … The last UO men's player with at least 20 rebounds in a game was Mike Moser, in 2014.
Up Next: The Ducks play their regular-season home opener against Montana in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Dante had 16 points and 21 rebounds as the Ducks dominated the paint to beat the Bulldogs. Nate Bittle added 13 points with nine rebounds to help Oregon record a 48-20 advantage in points in the paint and a 63-41 edge on the boards.
Dante's 21 rebounds were the most for Oregon since Gerald Willett had 21 against Duquesne in 1974. Brennan Rigsby matched Dante with 16 points to help lead the Ducks in scoring, and Jermaine Couisnard added 14 points with five assists.
Playing without freshman guard Jackson Shelstad due to a knee injury, the UO men led by as much as 17 in the first half and by 20 at one point in the second half. The biggest blemish on the day was 14-of-29 free-throw shooting for Oregon.
How It Happened: After Georgia scored the first point of the game, Oregon went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for good. Couisnard had buckets to start and end the run, and Bittle had two baskets including a three-pointer.
The Bulldogs closed within 11-8, but Oregon answered with another 10 in a row capped by a basket for Kario Oquendo against his former team. Freshman Kwame Evans Jr. hit a three-pointer moments later and the UO men had their biggest lead of the first half, 28-11.
N'Faly Dante records a career-best 21 rebounds in Oregon's season opener win over Georgia ??
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 7, 2023
Highlights ?? pic.twitter.com/5WtV9iP04g
From there, Georgia finally found its three-point shooting range, and the Bulldogs mounted a 17-4 run to close within 32-28. The Ducks scored the final six points of the first half, however, including a running bank shot at the buzzer from Keeshawn Barthelemy to make it 40-30.
With the lead down to four again early in the second half, 42-38, Bittle scored twice during a 9-2 run that regained some cushion for the Ducks. It was 54-46 when Rigsby threw down a thunderous two-handed dunk that sparked a 9-0 run by Oregon, and Oquendo later hit a three-pointer for the biggest lead of the game at 67-47.
Late in the game Georgia mustered one last run, and the Bulldogs closed within 79-71 with 1:04 to play. But the Ducks closed it out, forcing a turnover that led to a dunk from Couisnard for the game's final points.
Notable: The UO single-game record for rebounds is 32, by Jim Loscutoff against Brigham Young in 1955. … Dante became the first Pac-12 player with 20 rebounds in a regular-season nonconference game against a major conference opponent since 2001. … The last UO men's player with at least 20 rebounds in a game was Mike Moser, in 2014.
Up Next: The Ducks play their regular-season home opener against Montana in Matthew Knight Arena on Friday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
UGa
Oregon
FG%
.338
.425
3FG%
.333
.400
FT%
.567
.483
RB
41
63
TO
16
15
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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