Oregon comes back to defeat California, remain perfect in Pac-12 play

Oregon Basketball remains undefeated in Pac-12 play following a comeback win over California on Saturday night.

One key player also returned and contributed in a limited role. N’ Faly Dante saw his first game action since the start of the season in the Ducks' 80-73 win.  

While the crowd was energetic during the game, the loudest applause of the night came when Oregon Football Head Coach Dan Lanning was introduced. Lanning has seen his name linked to two high profile jobs, and has announced that he looks to remain in Eugene for the foreseeable future.  

For Oregon, it has been a tough stretch without a big man on the floor. However, Head Coach Dana Altman found a way to make it work through the non-conference slate and now in Pac-12 play.

The Ducks entered the game against California without a Pac-12 Conference loss, and 15 minutes into the game, they were headed for their first being down 18 points.  

Oregon found their biggest rally of the season. Defensively, they were able to force missed shots. The Ducks went on a 16-2 run to cut the California lead to five points at halftime and came all the way back with just over 10 minutes left in the second half with a Kario Oquendo three-pointer.  

N’Faly Dante saw limited action in the win. He started with a dunk, a lay-up and a turnover, scoring 8 points and going 3 for 8 from the floor with three turnovers and two rebounds.  

Jermaine Couisnard led four players in double figures shooting 5 of 13 from the floor and 5 of 9 from distance as Oregon hit 36 percent from three-point range in the comeback win.  

The win means that Oregon will now likely get some more attention down the stretch. They are now the only remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12 Conference. Every ranked team ahead of them has at least one loss, some have more.

Among those teams is Arizona, who is ranked 8th in the country, with two losses. The Ducks at 13-3 not only hold the best record in Pac-12 play, but the best overall record for the conference.  

The Ducks will be tested with two road games this week. Oregon hits the road to face Colorado and Utah before returning home to welcome the Arizona schools to Eugene. The Ducks and Buffs will tip off on Thursday at 7:30 pm Pacific time on FS1. 

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