University of Oregon
20-11,12-8Pac-12
Utah
18-13,9-11Pac-12
Seniors Lift Ducks to Victory in Regular Season Finale
03/09/24 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon men's basketball escaped Matthew Knight Arena with a 66-65 victory on senior night.
With nine minutes and eleven seconds left in the game, senior guard Jermaine Couisnard lobbed a pass to senior center N'Faly Dante, who finished with an emphatic slam to give Oregon a 54-53 lead and momentum. The lead change proved to be the last of the game, as Dante and company found a way down the stretch to end senior night on a high note.
The Ducks built a five-point lead, but began to struggle to find points, as time winded down. Oregon found themselves relying on defense in the final minutes, holding Utah to just one field goal in their last eight attempts on the night. The Utes had one last look at the buzzer that fell short, leaving Oregon victorious.
How it Happened: Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad was once again a catalyst for the Ducks early, scoring eight-straight as the Ducks raced out to an early 15-5 lead. Utah utilized hot shooting to get back into the game, draining six 3-pointers on 50-percent shooting from the floor in the first half. A 10-2 run by the Utes pulled them in front and they led by five as the game reached the halfway point.
The teams traded blows out of the locker room with Utah using back-to-back layups to build its lead up to eight. Oregon grouped together to score 11 of the games' next 13 points, pulling back in front on a layup from Kwame Evans Jr. with 13 minutes left in the game. Ute guard Hunter Erickson put a stop to the Duck run by cashing in back-to-back shots from deep, swinging the momentum once again.
His team trailing by five, Dante converted a look down low before an acrobatic layup by Brennan Rigsby cut the lead, 53-52, as the game entered its final 10 minutes. Dante continued his takeover of the game as he caught a lob from Couisnard and slammed it home over a Ute defender to reclaim the lead and electrify Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks went back to the Dante-Couisnard pick-and-roll on the next possession, this time ending in another lob that ended in a layup with the foul. After Dante failed to convert the free throw, Evans Jr. battled for the offensive rebound and gave it right back to the big man who finished at the rim again, capping a 10-0 run.
The teams went bucket-for-bucket across the next four minutes as Oregon fought to maintain a six-point lead with 4:06 left on the clock. Utah's Gabe Madsen sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half on the next possession, and after both teams were unable to find buckets the Utes stepped to the free-throw line with 38 seconds remaining and a chance to cut the lead to one. Deivon Smith cashed in on both attempts, and the Ducks took the ball down for their final possession.
After dribbling the clock down, Couisnard attacked the rim but was unable to convert as Utah collected the defensive rebound with eight-seconds left. Electing not to call a timeout, the Utes advanced the ball up the court and swung the ball around to find an open shooter in the corner, but the buzzer-beater attempt hit off of the iron to give Oregon, and its seniors, a final win at home this season.
Up Next: Oregon has earned the fourth seed in the 2024 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament and will play its quarterfinal game on March 14 at 2:30 p.m. PT in Las Vegas.
