Oregon Basketball: Ducks Lose to Utah 82-72, Pac 12 Title to UCLA

Oregon had one goal on Saturday….win – if they did that the Pac 12 Crown would have been theirs and they would have had the top seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, but it wasn’t to be. Utah came to play and it showed early in a 72-62 victory over the Ducks. Utah Senior Jason Washburn had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Senior Jarred DuBois added 15. The Utes shot 65.5 percent from the field, had more hustle and when they weren’t beating Oregon inside they were forcing turnovers. Duck Starters has 10 for the game and Dana Altman’s team shot 42 percent for the game.

The Ducks were hitting three’s early in the game to keep it close. Oregon Senior E.J. Singler led the Ducks with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Senior Tony Woods added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.

"“We didn’t play with the energy, the purpose, the focus that we needed.  In a game like this, every possession counts and we didn’t get to the ball quick enough.” Dana Altman on the loss to Utah"

March 9, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Mandatory Credit: Douglas C. Pizac-USA Today Sports

Oregon still has plenty to play for, but they will do it without the Pac 12 Title, which goes to UCLA(13-5 Pac 12). Cal finished the year in 2nd(12-6 Pac 12) and the Ducks came in third(12-6 Pac 12). A second place tie is not a bad place to finish for this team, who at the beginning of the season was picked quite a bit lower.

The Utes beat their first ranked opponent since November of 2009, and also their first time beating consecutive conference opponents since joining the Pac 12. The Ducks will lick their wounds and get set as the #3 Seed in this week’s Pac 12 Tournament and will face either 6 Seed Washington or 11 Seed Washington State on Thursday(8:30. ESPNU)

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