First-Half Defense Keys Win Over Montana

Friday, November 8

Eugene, OR

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

2-0,0-0Big Ten

Montana

1-1,0-0Big Sky

Montana

Oregon

Photo by: GoDucks.com

11/08/24 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Oregon men held the Griz to 23.1 percent shooting in the first half Friday, on the way to a 79-48 win.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Points will come, Dana Altman knows. What separates great teams is defense and rebounding.

That being the case, Altman's Ducks put together an encouraging performance Friday night, in the first half at least. The Oregon men's basketball team held Montana to 23.1 percent shooting in the first half and 34 percent overall, and the Ducks beat the Griz at Matthew Knight Arena, 79-48.

The UO men (2-0) forced 10 turnovers that resulted in 14 points during the first half, and ended the game plus-11 on the boards. If Altman had a quibble it was not sustaining the defensive activity, finishing with five points off just four turnovers in the second half.

"A lot of things to learn about being a good basketball team and making teams work," Altman said. "But it's Nov. 8 and we've got a lot of new guys. Just got a lot of work to do."

If Altman is still looking to reinforce the message about sustained defensive effort, his players at least are hearing it.

"We want to try to be a top-30 defense in the country," sophomore Kwame Evans Jr. said. "We all just try to play hard and play smart."

How It Happened: The game was tied early at 7-7, when Oregon's early defensive activity made its presence felt. The Ducks held Montana without a point for the next 9:16, and without a field goal for 9:59, as the UO men mounted a 15-0 run to lead 22-7.

"We talked about defense in the locker room, and we came out and got deflections, got steals, got more stops than we did last game," Evans said. "Just made it a point of emphasis."

TJ Bamba had the first five points of the run, on his way to 14 for the game. Jadrian Tracey added a three during the run as he finished with 12 points, and Brandon Angel capped the run with two second-chance points.

After Montana closed within 25-16, Oregon mounted another extended run, scoring 11 straight to push the lead to 20. The Ducks then scored the final eight points of the half to lead 44-20 at the break, with Tracey and Nate Bittle hitting threes on the last two UO possessions.

Bittle and Bamba scored back-to-back early in the second half to make it 48-22. That duo then hit threes on consecutive possessions for a 56-30 lead, the second by Bittle on his way to a game-high 17 points.

Bamba and Bittle seemed to play off each other well, but Bamba is still looking to build more chemistry as a newcomer for Oregon.

"I feel like with all my teammates I somewhat have connections," Bamba said. "But it's still got to improve."

Oregon pushed the lead as high as 31 midway through the second half, at 69-38, before finishing the night out with that scoring margin by scoring the last five points of the game.

Notable: Freshman guard Jamari Phillips made his collegiate debut in the second half, and scored his first points from the free-throw line. Phillips made his first field goal from three-point range in the final minute of the game. … The Ducks listed senior big man Supreme Cook as questionable for the game, but he was not in uniform on the bench; nor were the three players listed as out — Dezdrick Lindsay, Oleksandr Kobzystyi and Andre Warren. … PA voice Don Essig missed the game while recovering from an illness, and with the intention of being on the mic for Saturday's football game at Autzen Stadium. … The game was delayed momentarily after the opening tip due to issues with clock operation.

Up Next: The Ducks host Portland on Tuesday (8 p.m., Big Ten Network).