Oregon Ducks Show Defensive Improvement In Win Over California Golden Bears

The Oregon Ducks won their second Pac-12 Road Game of the Season topping Cal on Thursday night.

Head Coach Dana Altman has been talking about Defense, Rebounding, and Consistency for most of the season. On Thursday, Oregon put together a complete game on Defense, holding the California Golden Bears to 33 percent shooting from the floor. The Ducks opened with a 9-0 run and never looked back holding Cal to 0 for 6 shooting to open the game. Altman also watched his team force six turnovers during that span.

For a team that needs wins and consistency, the Oregon Ducks have now put together three straight consistent games with victories at home against UCLA and Oregon State and a road win at Cal.

Troy Brown shook off his recent road woes to lead Oregon with 16 points. He was 5 for 6 from the floor and 2 for 2 from three-point range. Elijah Brown finished with 15 points off 6 for 8 shooting, 4 for 4 from beyond the arc. While MiKyle McIntosh seemed to have an off night he was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free-throw line. He was just 2 for 7 from the floor but finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Oregon had 10 steals and 14 assists shooting over 50 percent from the floor and 53 percent from beyond the arc. The Ducks held Cal to just 29 percent from three-point range. The Golden Bears hit just 9 for 20 from the charity stripe.

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While it was a good road win, the next challenge is bigger. The Oregon Ducks visit Stanford in a game that could well decide if the NCAA Tournament is in the team’s future. The Ducks and Cardinal tip off on Saturday at 2 pm on FOX.