Oregon Basketball: Ducks Contain James Weisman, Top Memphis 82-74
Oregon Basketball met the challenge against the Memphis Tigers finding baskets and mismatches in an 82-74 win from the Moda Center in Portland.
The Oregon Ducks saw turnovers rear their ugly head in the first half, leading to 20 points for the Memphis Tigers. Despite the sloppy play, Oregon went into halftime with a six-point lead. The level of competition was clearly different than their last game vs Boise State where they shot 70 percent from the field in a win over the Broncos.
On Tuesday night, the Ducks shot closer to 40 percent in the first half. Defensively they held the Memphis Tigers star player James Wiseman to zero points and five rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Oregon Starter Chris Duarte went down with a leg injury in the first half. He needed help off the floor in what looked like an ankle injury.
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Duarte is a key player for the Ducks this season. Oregon has already been down a player with Francis Okoro who has had a shoulder injury to start the season. Last week Okoro was hit by a car crossing the street in front of Matthew Knight Arena. He missed the game vs Boise State but was on the bench for the win.
Oregon used experience from Payton Pritchard vs Memphis. He finished with 10 points and 6 assists. Both teams had 16 assists, but the Ducks had a total if 18 turnovers that the Tigers turned into 25 points. In the end, Oregon wore down Memphis with a key three-point shot from Pritchard in the final two minutes pushing the Ducks lead to 8 at the time.
The Ducks found a way to use athleticism and finding the right matchups for an 82-74 win over Memphis. Oregon is 3-0 on the season. The Ducks return to Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday to face UT Arlington. Tipoff is set for 5 pm Pacific Time.