Story by Jonah Rosenberg

At Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday, the Oregon Ducks dismantled the Portland Pilots by a score of 80-41. This marked the 6th win on the season for the Ducks who have been rolling through their non-conference slate after dropping their season opener against Missouri. Portland, who came into Saturday’s contest also with a record of 5-1 was simply out matched by the Ducks’ physicality on both sides of the ball. Just a week ago, the Pilots took down Oregon’s pac-12 foe in the Oregon State Beavers in OT, but tonight, Portland was simply outmatched. 

A big storyline coming into Saturday’s game revolved around the absence of Center N’Faly Dante. Unfortunately for the Ducks, it was reported shortly before the tipoff that Dante suffered a season ending ACL tear. With the lack of a true center, Oregon started the game with 4 players listed at 6’6” and Amauri Hardy who is 6’2”. Surprisingly, the Ducks did not miss Dante at all in their win over the Portland Pilots because the defense was stellar. At the halftime break, the Ducks had held Portland to 5-25 shooting from the floor. When it was all said and done, Portland shot 21% on the game. The Oregon defense strategy of full court pressing and switching everything worked wonders against the Pilots who consistently found themselves lost on offense, struggling to create open looks, and often heard the ring of the shot clock buzzer as the ball left their hands. How well this Duck strategy will work for the rest of the season against Pac-12 foes is yet to be determined, but today’s performance must be a confidence boost for Coach Danna Altman’s squad. 

On the offense side of the ball, the Ducks also played very well with Chris Duarte leading all scorers with 21. Duarte began the game 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from behind the arc. Duarte then went 0-4 to end the first half before finishing his game 3-3. LJ Figueroa added 15 points of his own in his first start for the Ducks. Figueroa contributed in every category with 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and a steal. The Ducks as a whole shot 57 from the field, a mark that said he was proud of Coach Altman. 

At the end of the day, the Ducks left Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday victorious by a score of 80-41. The Ducks will next be in action on Wednesday the 23rd as the UCLA Bruins (5-1) come to town. KWVA sports will have you covered on that day for the Pac-12 home opener.

Postgame Story

Postgame Press Conference