Ducks Come Up Short In OT at Rutgers

Monday, January 5

Piscataway, NJ

4 p.m.

University of Oregon

8-7,1-3Big Ten

Rutgers

8-7,1-3Big Ten

OT 1

Oregon

Rutgers

Photo by: GoDucks.com

01/05/26 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Wei Lin scored Oregon's final 11 points of regulation as the Ducks rallied to force overtime before coming up short.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Wei Lin's sixth three-pointer of the night sent the game to overtime before the Oregon men's basketball team came up short at Rutgers on Monday, 88-85.

Nate Bittle matched his season high with 28 points, and Lin added 23 by doubling his season total for made three-pointers by hitting six in the game. But after Bittle scored to put the Ducks up 81-78 early in overtime, the Scarlet Knight went on a 9-1 run to take control.

Kwame Evans Jr. posted his third double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Ducks were hurt by 17 turnovers that led to 26 points by Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights also had a 34-16 edge in free-throw attempts.

"Very disappointed," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We've got to get a lot more disciplined; I've been talking about that. Our toughness is not very good. A very disappointing loss."

Lin, who started his second straight game while Jackson Shelstad recovers from a hand injury, made three three-pointers in the final three minutes of regulation. That helped the Ducks rally from a six-point deficit in that span to force overtime.

"He did some good things, no doubt," Altman said.

How It Happened: After Rutgers scored the first five points of the game, Oregon answered with a 6-0 run capped by Lin's first three-pointer. The Ducks pushed their lead to four several times midway through the first half, the last time on a Sean Stewart layup that made it 22-18.

Rutgers answered with a 6-0 run to fight back into the lead, but an 8-2 run by Oregon got the Ducks' lead back to four. A three-pointer by the Scarlet Knights cut the UO lead to 30-29, when the Ducks scored seven straight to go up 37-29. The lead remained eight at halftime after a three-pointer by Evans put Oregon up 45-37.

The Ducks were up eight again early in the second, 47-39, when Rutgers went on a 13-4 run to take the lead. It remained a one-possession game for the next few minutes, with Bittle giving Oregon its last lead in regulation on a dunk that made it 65-64 with 5:15 left.

Rutgers answered that with seven straight to lead 71-65 with 3:11 to go. But Lin scored Oregon's last 11 points of regulation, including the three-pointer with 4 seconds left that sent the game to overtime at 76-76.

Two early buckets by Bittle in overtime helped the Ducks take an 81-78 lead in the extra period. Oregon hit just one more field goal the rest of the way — a three-pointer by Bittle that got them within 87-85 in the final minute.

After the Ducks got a stop at the other end, Bittle had a look at a go-ahead three-pointer with 10 seconds left. It didn't fall, and Rutgers made a free throw for the game's final point.

Up Next: The Ducks host Ohio State on Thursday (7:30 p.m., BTN).