University of Oregon
8-8,1-4Big Ten
Ohio State
11-4,3-2Big Ten
Offensive Struggles Lead to Oregon Defeat
01/08/26 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore.— Oregon struggled to find consistent offense and could not overcome a decisive second-half surge by Ohio State in a 72–62 loss Thursday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (8–8, 1–4) shot just 32.8 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from 3-point range, allowing the Buckeyes to pull away after a competitive first half. Oregon trailed by five at the break and never led after the opening minute.
Nate Bittle led Oregon with 14 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes, but went 5 of 19 from the floor. Takai Simpkins added 12 points, going 8 of 9 from the free-throw line, while Kwame Evans Jr. and Wei Lin each scored 10. Lin also had five assists, but Oregon finished with 19 turnovers that Ohio State converted into 13 points.
How It Happened: The Ducks were within 36–34 early in the second half and closed to within three on several occasions, but Ohio State answered each time. A 21–0 Buckeye run midway through the half turned a single-digit game into a 24-point deficit, the largest of the night, with 6:59 remaining.
"I thought the whole momentum of the game changed with offensive rebounds at the start of the second half," Head Coach Dana Altman said. "I thought we had a chance to come out in the second half and take the lead, but I think they got 25 points in the first ten minutes. We kind of buried ourselves."
Oregon was outshot 45.3 percent to 32.8 percent overall and was held to 7 of 30 from beyond the arc. The Ducks scored 24 points in the paint and matched Ohio State with six fast-break points, but they could not slow the Buckeyes' interior efficiency. Ohio State finished with 34 points in the paint and shot 51.4 percent on 2-point attempts.
Oregon closed the game on an 8–3 spurt, highlighted by late baskets from Bittle, but the effort was too little, too late.
Up Next: Oregon is on the road at No. 10 Nebraska on Tuesday (6 p.m. PT on Big Ten Network).
