Oregon Basketball: Ducks Show Athleticism In Win Over Colorado State
Oregon Basketball opens important non-conference stretch with 95-65 win over Colorado State
The Oregon Ducks faced a challenge against Colorado State and a tall team that could rebound well. Dana Altman was hopeful that the week of practice during finals week was enough to get the team back on track. Troy Brown returned to the starting lineup after missing the game vs Boise State under concussion protocol.
The first points of the game came off a steal by Payton Pritchard for two points. Colorado State scored back to back buckets to take a 4-2 lead, but Pritchard came back to tie it at 4. Paul White hit back to back baskets with fouls. He helped the Ducks to an early 10-6 lead with just under 15 minutes left in the first half.
The little things worked for Oregon in the first half. Holding onto a three point lead, Troy Brown snagged the ball and was fouled under the bucket. The Freshman hit the free throw to push the Ducks lead to six at 35-29.
Troy Brown entered the break on his way to a double-double with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Oregon was shooting 40 percent from the floor with just 4 turnovers to 8 for Colorado State. Both teams showed early efficiency with 6 assists each.
The second half started out slow before Oregon found their ball movement with back to back three-pointers from Elijah Brown and Payton Pritchard to push the lead to 63-44 with 11 minutes to go. The Rams doubled the Ducks in turnovers with 14, Oregon had 7. The Ducks had 23 points off turnovers to CSU with just 5. The Oregon Bench was also getting hot with 16 points.
Oregon pulled away in the final 10 minutes showing off their athleticism on back to back plays and an 86-50 lead with 5:24 remaining in the game.
In the end, Colorado State had their opportunity at the free throw line with 27 attempts, the Rams hit 70 percent from the charity stripe. Oregon finished with 30 points off the bench. Troy Brown earned his first double-double as an Oregon Duck with 12 points and 10 rebounds..
Next: Cristobal Hire Helps Maintain Recruiting Momentum
The Oregon Ducks took a few steps in the right direction but will look to build on it with a quick turnaround. Oregon faces Texas Southern on Monday at 7 pm Pacific Time at Matthew Knight Arena.