Oregon Basketball: Payton Pritchard Leads Ducks To Gritty Win Over Texas Southern

Payton Prtichard brings the ball up vs Stanford at Matthew Knight ArenaJustin Phillips/KPNW Sports
Payton Prtichard brings the ball up vs Stanford at Matthew Knight ArenaJustin Phillips/KPNW Sports /
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It was a back and forth battle from the start and Oregon Basketball had an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers, but found a way to win 84-78 over Texas Southern.

Texas Southern led for over half the game with multiple lead changes, but in the end the experience that Oregon has brought to the court this season took over, led by Payton Pritchard. The Senior who helped the Ducks to a ten game winning streak last season that took them deep into the NCAA Tournament again showed flashes.

Pritchard hit a three point shot from the top of the ‘O’ in center court in the final minutes to secure the win. Will Richardson had 18 points as Oregon shot 52 percent overcoming 21 points by Texas Southern off 19 Oregon Basketball turnovers on the night. So far this season, the Ducks have managed to control turnovers, and do so fairly well against Top 15 opponents. In a game that could have slipped away, the Ducks overcame adversity for the win.

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Anthony Mathis has been pretty much a non-factor over the last few games. Against Texas Southern he had just three points as teams are finding ways to cover the Ducks three-point shooter.

N’Faly Dante saw action in his second straight game for the Ducks scoring six points in 11 minutes. I expect Oregon is gearing him up as we push toward Pac-12 play. Francis Okoro has made his presence felt this season. Against Texas Southern, Okoro had just two points, but pulled down 7 rebounds and an assist.

Texas Southern showed their ability vs Oregon wiping away and Oregon 3 point halftime lead with a 12-5 run. They finished with 36 bench points along with 12 second chance points and 11 fast break points.

Oregon Basketball ha the week to rest before returning to Matthew Knight Arena to welcome Alabama State on December 29th for a 1 pm Pacific Time tipoff.