It always feels good to get a win over your rival. It feels really good when said rival is the Washington Huskies and you beat them by more than 10 points at home in your first matchup against one another as a part of the Big Ten.
On Tuesday, the No. 15 Oregon Ducks hosted the Huskies and put a beatdown on their long-lived rivals with an 82-71 victory led by transfer guard TJ Bamba.
Bamba put up 21 points, alongside 4 steals and 3 assists, as the Ducks dominated their rivals to the north. Despite leading by just two points at halftime, Oregon surged to victory in the second half behind a 48-point performance in the final 20 minutes.
Ducks snag a B1G home W 🙌#B1GMBBall x @OregonMBB pic.twitter.com/3MJevDloaD
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 22, 2025
Alongside Bamba in double-digit scoring was fellow transfer Brandon Angel (15 points) and sophomore superstar Jackson Shelstad (11), as well as Supreme Cook (13) and Keeshawn Barthelemy (11) who came off the bench for the Ducks.
Uncharacteristically, star center Nate Bittle struggled to find his shooting form as he made just three of eight shot attempts for 7 total points. However, Bittle earned a tremendous 11 rebounds alongside 3 assists and 2 blocks throughout the matchup.
Only three Huskies were able to reach double digits in the points column; Great Osobar (20 points), Zoom Diallo (18), and Tyler Harris (15). Meanwhile, fellow starters Wilhelm Breidenbach and Tyree Ihenacho combined for just 9 points (all coming from Breidenbach) as the Washington bench combined for a lowly 9 points as well.
The Ducks' win over the Huskies righted a struggling ship for Oregon's home matchups during conference play. Now 8-3 at home and 5-3 in conference play, all of Oregon's losses have come while playing at Matthew Knight Arena against Big Ten opponents.
Oregon is now 16-3 overall, standing at 4th in the conference, with a road trip to Minnesota ahead. The Ducks and the Minnesota Golden Gophers are scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday, Jan. 25.