Oregon Basketball: Ducks Take Care Of UCLA, Duarte Scores 24

EUGENE, OREGON - JANUARY 26: Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks passes the ball during the first half against the UCLA Bruins at Matthew Knight Arena on January 26, 2020 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON - JANUARY 26: Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks passes the ball during the first half against the UCLA Bruins at Matthew Knight Arena on January 26, 2020 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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For the second straight game, Chris Duarte led the Oregon Basketball team in scoring as the Ducks beat UCLA 96-75 to remain a force at home this season.

The Oregon Ducks played one of their more complete games of the season. Midway through the first half, the Ducks were in complete control over the UCLA Bruins. UCLA is a team in transition between running an offensive style of play and a lockdown defense and Oregon was able to take advantage Duarte earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after a second double-digit scoring game. He finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and had 8 of the Ducks 15 steals on the afternoon vs the Bruins.

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Anthony Mathis who started the season strong from distance has been non-existent of late. He started to find his shot vs UCLA. Mathis was 6 for 30 in Pac-12 play before the game vs the Bruins. That’s 20 percent from three-point range. He hit 40 percent from beyond the arc on Sunday. Mathis and Payton Pritchard started the season on a tear for the Ducks, but Mathis has been replaced recently by Duarte who has led the team in scoring, for the second straight game.

Payton Pritchard finished the game with 19 points. The victory not only made Payton Pritchard the winningest Oregon Duck in Program History but also gave Head Coach Dana Altman his 23rd consecutive winning season as a head coach. It is also the Ducks 10th consecutive winning season, which started with Altman’s first season. It is the first time in 88 years that has happened in Eugene.

The Oregon Ducks now head south down I-5 to take on the California Golden Bears on Thursday. The trip begins three straight road games for the Ducks who will also visit a tough Stanford team as well as a trip to Oregon State to take on the Beavers in Corvallis.

Oregon visits California on Thursday night at 6 pm Pacific Time on Pac-12 Network.