The Oregon men's and women's basketball team had a double-header on Thursday, Jan. 9 as the two Duck squads flew east to take on Big Ten opponents. The Oregon men looked to exact revenge for the football team as they faced the Ohio State Buckeyes while the women hoped to continue the Ducks' success against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
By the end of the night, with tip offs just two hours apart, the Oregon Ducks were flying home with two more wins to their program's name.
Oregon men defeat Ohio State Buckeyes
Led by sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad, the Ducks rallied in the second half to overcome a five-point halftime deficit and defeat the Buckeyes.
Ohio State held a 32-27 lead when the two teams headed to their locker rooms after the first 20 minutes but Shelstad's 24 points and 3 assists led the Ducks to a 46-point second-half comeback. Shelstad was joined by Nate Bittle in the 20-point club as the veteran center scored 21 points of his own while bringing down 8 rebounds for the Ducks.
Ducks Win!!
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) January 10, 2025
The Oregonians got it done again, with 24 points from Shelstad and 21 from Bittle. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/eYI44cTaa1
Senior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy joined the 1,000-point club for his collegiate career with his 7-point performance against the Buckeyes, including a clutch three-point shot in the second half.
At the end of regulation, Oregon had eked out the two-point victory over Ohio State to improve to 14-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play.
Oregon women defeat Penn State Nittany Lions
Despite a powerful 34-27 lead at halftime, the Ducks struggled to find consistency in the second half as the Penn State women's basketball team fought back to tie the game at 61 points apiece with just 1 minute of regulation remaining.
However, transfer guard Deja Kelly and senior center Phillipina Kyei combined for 27 total points and 10 rebounds to push Oregon to its third conference victory of the season.
😮💨 pic.twitter.com/DAwwbH4rwu
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) January 9, 2025
With just 4 seconds remaining in the second half, the game was still tied at 61 and Kelly pulled up for a field goal from distance. She nailed it to put the Ducks up 63-61 and the Nittany Lions couldn't find an answer. Just like that, the Oregon women improved to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play.
The Oregon men are scheduled to face Penn State on Jan. 12 at 1 p.m. PT on the Big Ten Network. Vice versa, the Duck women are scheduled to play against No. 9 Ohio State on the same day at 10 a.m. PT on B1G+.