Tuesday, February 17
Eugene, Ore.
7:30 p.m.
University of Oregon
9-17,2-13Big Ten
44
vs
61
Minnesota
12-14,5-10Big Ten
1
2
F
Minnesota
22
39
61
Oregon
17
27
44
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Midweek Battle Goes To Gophers
02/17/26 | Men's Basketball
Oregon was unable to capitalize on a win Saturday over Penn State and lost Tuesday.
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon was unable to take momentum from a win three days earlier and fell to Minnesota at Matthew Knight Arena on Tuesday, 61-44.
The Ducks were coming off a win over Penn State that ended a 10-game losing streak. But they shot just 30.4 percent in the first half Tuesday and were outscored 23-14 over the final 13 minutes after taking a brief second-half lead.
"I thought we were ready to go," UO coach Dana Altman said. "I thought our practices were bouncy Sunday and Monday. So yeah, I thought we were ready to go. But obviously we were stuck in the mud right from the start."
The Oregon men (9-17, 2-13 Big Ten) struggled to contend with Minnesota's zone defense. Nate Bittle scored 15 points and Kwame Evans Jr. added 13, but the Ducks had 12 turnovers against the zone and shot just 2-of-20 on three-pointers.
"We just stood straight up and down, didn't attack it," Altman said. "The zone wants you to stand up and look at it. We did, and then we didn't hit shots. We took a couple bad ones early, which I think kind of got us off on the wrong foot. And didn't throw the ball inside nearly enough."
The Ducks also were outrebounded 38-28 and had just six offensive rebounds, despite a 20-of-53 shooting performance overall.
How It Happened: After falling behind early, the Ducks got two free throws from Evans and a three-pointer by Bittle to tie the game at 9-9 midway through the first half. That would be the only made three on 12 attempts in the first half by the UO men.
After Dezdrick Lindsay scored to put Oregon in front 11-10, Minnesota went on a 12-2 run. Bittle and Lindsay scored to tighten it up just before halftime, and the Ducks trailed 22-17 entering the break.
The Gophers pushed the lead to 29-21 early in the second before the Ducks went on a 9-0 run. That surge to put Oregon up 30-29 was capped by an Evans three-pointer, again the only one in the half for the UO men.
Minnesota was up 39-32 when a thunderous dunk by Lindsay followed by another from Bittle got Oregon within three and seemed to swing the momentum. But the Ducks were outscored 22-8 the rest of the way, allowing a game-clinching 12-0 run before Evans scored the final two points of the night.
Up Next: The Ducks play at USC on Saturday (1 p.m., FS1).
The Ducks were coming off a win over Penn State that ended a 10-game losing streak. But they shot just 30.4 percent in the first half Tuesday and were outscored 23-14 over the final 13 minutes after taking a brief second-half lead.
"I thought we were ready to go," UO coach Dana Altman said. "I thought our practices were bouncy Sunday and Monday. So yeah, I thought we were ready to go. But obviously we were stuck in the mud right from the start."
The Oregon men (9-17, 2-13 Big Ten) struggled to contend with Minnesota's zone defense. Nate Bittle scored 15 points and Kwame Evans Jr. added 13, but the Ducks had 12 turnovers against the zone and shot just 2-of-20 on three-pointers.
"We just stood straight up and down, didn't attack it," Altman said. "The zone wants you to stand up and look at it. We did, and then we didn't hit shots. We took a couple bad ones early, which I think kind of got us off on the wrong foot. And didn't throw the ball inside nearly enough."
The Ducks also were outrebounded 38-28 and had just six offensive rebounds, despite a 20-of-53 shooting performance overall.
How It Happened: After falling behind early, the Ducks got two free throws from Evans and a three-pointer by Bittle to tie the game at 9-9 midway through the first half. That would be the only made three on 12 attempts in the first half by the UO men.
After Dezdrick Lindsay scored to put Oregon in front 11-10, Minnesota went on a 12-2 run. Bittle and Lindsay scored to tighten it up just before halftime, and the Ducks trailed 22-17 entering the break.
The Gophers pushed the lead to 29-21 early in the second before the Ducks went on a 9-0 run. That surge to put Oregon up 30-29 was capped by an Evans three-pointer, again the only one in the half for the UO men.
Minnesota was up 39-32 when a thunderous dunk by Lindsay followed by another from Bittle got Oregon within three and seemed to swing the momentum. But the Ducks were outscored 22-8 the rest of the way, allowing a game-clinching 12-0 run before Evans scored the final two points of the night.
Up Next: The Ducks play at USC on Saturday (1 p.m., FS1).
Team Stats
MINN
Oregon
FG%
.400
.377
3FG%
.310
.100
FT%
.800
1.000
RB
38
28
TO
13
12
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballDana Altman | Postgame vs. Minnesota
Wednesday, February 18
Nate Bittle & Takai Simpkins | Postgame vs. Penn State
Saturday, February 14
Dana Altman | Postgame vs. Penn State
Saturday, February 14
Dana Altman: "A lot of new faces."
Wednesday, February 04
