Written Story by Alex Roth
The Oregon Ducks suffered a brutal home loss at the hands of the California Golden Bears Saturday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks surged ahead 8-2 in the very early stages of the game but were never able to capture any sort of momentum after that. California used a 22-0 run in the first half to build a 17-point lead during a stretch where Oregon went scoreless for over 8 minutes. The Ducks struggled immensely offensively in this one, shooting just 37.9 percent from the field and 18.5 percent from beyond the arc. Oregon scored just 22 points in the first half and trailed 38-22 at the half. Will Richardson, De’Vion Harmon, and Quincy Guerrier each scored in double figures for Oregon, with Richardson leading the way with 22 points, but the rest of the team could not provide any offensive support.
Oregon also turned the ball over 11 times and shot just 65.2 percent from the free throw line in this one, missing 8 free throws that often stopped any Oregon attempt at making a dent in the Cal lead. Oregon also struggled defensively for stretches despite forcing 17 California turnovers. The Ducks allowed the Golden Bears to shoot 52 percent from the field and allowed for Cal guard Jordan Shepherd to score 33 points. The Ducks also allowed Shepherd to get to the free throw line 15 times, where he would sink 13 of 15 attempts.
Oregon loses just their second game since December 21 and their fourth PAC-12 game of the season. This loss is especially damaging to Oregon’s NCAA tournament hopes, as they were projected to be on the bubble of making the tournament coming into today. A double-digit home loss to the 10th place team in the PAC-12 likely ends the Duck’s chances of receiving an automatic bid into the field.
Oregon will take on Washington State Monday night at Matthew Knight Arena at 6 p.m. before taking a road trip next weekend to Arizona to take on both Arizona schools. That game will be televised on ESPNU, and you can follow along on twitter @kwvasports for coverage. The Ducks will look to bounce back and build momentum for a run during the final few weeks of the season.
Team Starters Stats
Oregon Ducks
G Will Richardson 6-12 FG 22 Points
G De’Vion Harmon 4-16 FG 11 Points
G Jacob Young 1-7 FG 2 Points
F Quincy Guerrier5-9 FG 11 points
C N’Faly Dante 2-6 FG 4 Points
California Golden Bears
G Joel Brown 2-4 FG 6 Points
G Jalen Celestine 3-4 FG 8 points
G Jordan Shepherd 9-15 FG 33 points
F Grant Anticevich 3-10 FG 8 points
C Lars Thiemann 2-4 FG 5 points
Post game Audio:
Audio Story by Alex Roth