Ducks Dealt First Pac-12 Loss

Thursday, January 18

Boulder, CO

7:30 PM

University of Oregon

13-4,5-1Pac-12

Colorado

13-5,4-3Pac-12

Oregon

Colorado

01/18/24 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOULDER, Colo. – Oregon erased a double-digit first-half deficit for the second time in as many games, but Colorado persisted in handing the Ducks their first conference loss of the season, 86-70, on Thursday night.

The Buffs (13-5, 4-3 Pac-12) led by as much as 14 points in the first half before the Ducks (13-4, 5-1 Pac-12) roared back to take the lead back in the early stages of the second. Oregon led 57-56 at the 11:20 mark before Colorado opened up a 17-4 scoring run to reestablish an advantage that proved to be insurmountable.

The Buffs scored 24 points off of 13 turnovers by the Ducks and used elite guard play to control the tempo on offense as KJ Simpson and Cody Williams combined to score 55 points for the home side. Nearly half of Oregon's points came from its bench, including 14 points from Jadrian Tracey and nine points and three steals from Keeshawn Barthelemy who was a catalyst in the comeback effort against his former team. Jermaine Couisnard chipped in 11 points for UO, while N'Faly Dante contributed seven points, five rebounds and three steals in his first start since the season opener against Georgia (Nov. 6).

How It Happened: Oregon kept things close throughout the opening stages of the game, taking a 20-18 lead with under 10 to play in the first half. It was at that point when Colorado began to take over, launching a 17-2 scoring run and leading by as much as 14 thanks in part to eight UO turnovers that resulted in 17 points on the other end. As they had done their last time out against California, the Ducks cut a double-digit deficit down to single digits before the halftime break as Jackson Shelstad drilled a deep triple to make it 43-34 as the teams headed for the locker rooms.

The Duck comeback continued at the start of the second half as UO forced Colorado to turn the ball over on each of its first four possessions, facilitating a 9-2 run that turned the tides quickly. With just over 15 minutes to play, Couisnard knocked down a pair of free throws to give Oregon its first lead in over 14 minutes of game time. The teams traded leads across the next four minutes, but the Ducks were never able to extend their advantage to more than a point.

A Tristan da Silva 3-pointer with 10:26 on the clock began a second stampede by the Buffs, opening a 17-4 run that built the lead back up to double-digits and put the Ducks back at a distance. As the game entered the final stretch, Oregon could not find the stops needed to get back into the game as its six-game winning streak came to an end.

Up Next: The Ducks travel to Salt Lake City for a matchup with Utah on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT (ESPN/ESPN2).