Dana Altman: “We made mistakes defensively, we gotta slow down, get the ball to Dante”

After a slow first half in the Ducks’ opening game of the Pac-12 Tournament. Reporter and former Pac-12 star Jordan Kent talked to Dana Altman about what Oregon needs to change.

“We made mistakes defensively,” Altman said. “The rebounding, second chance points. We gotta tighten up, gotta rebound the ball.”

The Ducks were outrebounded by the UCLA Bruins in the first 20 minutes of the matchup and it showed on the scoreboard. UCLA had a five-point lead when the teams headed to the locker rooms at halftime.

Senior center N’Faly Dante was held to just 9 points in the first half. The Oregon guards Jackson Shelstad, Jermaine Couisnard, and Jadrian Tracey only brought in nine combined points.

The Bruins controlled the game almost entirely on the defensive end of the court and the Ducks tried to hurry up the pace in response… It didn’t work.

“We’re spent. We gotta slow down,” Altman said. “We need to make the right play, get to Dante a bit more.”

UCLA had a 34-29 lead over Oregon at halftime. The Ducks and Bruins were both searching for a win in order to advance to the semifinal round of the last-ever Pac-12 Tournament.

The last time the two teams faced each other was in Los Angeles. UCLA walked away with the home win, defeating the Ducks 71-63. When Oregon hosted the Bruins, the Ducks earned the victory, taking down the Bruins 64-59.

This is most likely the last time the two teams will meet before they join the Big Ten conference next season.