Oregon Basketball: Ducks Rally To Beat Colorado, Tie For First In Pac-12
Oregon Basketball returned home to Matthew Knight Arena looking to snap a two-game losing streak. A first-place tie was on the line against the Colorado Buffaloes.
Oregon jumped out to a 6-2 lead as both teams hit an early cold shooting streak until Colorado hit a three-pointer to make it 6-5 with just under 16 minutes left in the first half.
The Ducks and Buffaloes would exchange baskets before Colorado hit a 12-0 run to take a 22-16 lead with just under 5 minutes left in the first half. Oregon went on an 0 for 9 drought on the floor. The Buffaloes would add another three-pointer to their lead 25-16 forcing an Oregon timeout. The Ducks shot just over 30 percent in the first half. Despite five steals, they could not find the basket allowing the shot clock to run down on multiple possessions as the struggles from the road continued at home over the last two games.
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Colorado hit their last 6 of 7 shots ending the first half to take a 35-26 lead into the break. The Buffaloes played at a faster pace and found ways to find the basket in the first half. Oregon, at times, looked lost on offense hitting just 10 for 31 in the first half.
Oregon came out better in the second half, but giving up some Colorado three-point shots had the Ducks down 8 with just under 11 minutes to go as Addison Patterson hit a running bucket with a foul. Patterson missed the free bucket, but Will Richardson had a quick lay in pulling Oregon withing four 51-47.
The Ducks would go 4 for 4 creating a 6-0 run in under a minute off the clock pushing their field goal percentage close to 10 percent in a 10 minute span holding Colorado to no baskets over four minutes.
With five minutes to go in the game, the Ducks would again go cold, missing four straight shots, including an Anthony Mathis three pointer. Payton Pritchard would get the crowd to their feet hitting a three pointer and pulling the Ducks within two, 58-56 with just over four and a half minutes left.
Will Richardson hit the game-tying free throws as well as the three-pointer to take the lead with just over three minutes left. Oregon led 61-58. The Ducks got the rebound on the other end and Addison Patterson added a two to push the Ducks lead to five. It was a 12-0 run for Oregon in a time when they needed it most as they held Colorado to another four-minute scoring drought. The Ducks led 65-58 with just under two minutes to go.
Oregon finished the game on a 15-2 run as Colorado went 1 for 11 in the final minutes. The Ducks came back to win 68-60 in a game that had six shot clock violations. The Ducks are back at Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday to welcome the Utah Utes (Sunday, 8 pm Fox Sports 1)