Oregon basketball: Ducks find a way for much-needed win over Arizona
To say the last two weeks for Oregon basketball have been a rollercoaster is an understatement. After several ups and downs, the team found a way to beat a top-ten Arizona squad on their home floor for the biggest win of the season.
Oregon basketball has been rough to watch this year. Head Coach Dana Altman has done his best with a group of players that have seen the injury bug hang around since before the start of the season. It has not been easy. On Saturday, a top-ten Arizona team came into Eugene and Altman found a way to get his guys to play the game of their lives for an upset win.
Over the seasons that Altman has been leading this team, the time of year when team chemistry usually kicks in is now. This is when the team goes on a run of wins that can get them into the NCAA Tournament. For the last two weeks, Oregon has lost a road game vs Colorado, won against a Utah team that had yet to have a conference loss, lost again at home to Arizona State, and now defeated Arizona 87-68.
If we know anything about Altman, he knows that winning home games is probably among the most important things you can do in any season. The Ducks are also now getting players back from injury and getting healthy at the right time to make a run.
Jermaine Couisnard in just his fourth game with the team led with 27 points. N’Faly Dante followed with 22 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Couisnard had a pass for an alley-oop in the first half that Dante did not even have to touch. The ball was thrown from near half-court and went in the basket for three points. It was from this point on that you knew things were going Oregon’s way.
Midway through the second half, the Ducks pushed the lead to double digits and never looked back. Oregon shot a blistering 53 percent from the floor and outrebounded Arizona by ten, 42-32.
Oregon heads back to the road for games this week at California and Stanford. The Golden Bears and Cardinal are a combined 8-27 overall this season. Stanford has yet to win a Pac-12 Conference game and sits at 0-7.
Oregon and Cal meet on Wednesday at 7 pm Pacific Time. The game is on Pac-12 Network.
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