Written by Yaniv Horenstein

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon men’s basketball closed out 2023 with a game on Saturday afternoon against the UCLA Bruins in their second Pac-12 matchup of the season. The Ducks are still without N’Faly Dante, Mookie Cook, and Nate Bittle, but are making things work with the players they’ve got.

The first half remained close, with no team getting ahead by more than four points. Oregon’s offense scored in waves, looking elite at times, and sloppy during other moments. At the break, Oregon was shooting 42% from the field, but had success from deep, making four-of-ten threes. The scoring was led by Jermaine Couisnard and Brennan Rigsby, who each had eight points at the break. The Ducks half-court offense was unable to find consistent open looks, causing a few scoring droughts throughout the half.

The first twenty minutes featured many blown whistles by the referees, with 20 combined fouls called on both teams. Unfortunately for Oregon, their big men found themselves in foul trouble early. Kwame Evans Jr. had 3, and Mahamadou Diawara had 2 at halftime. This forced Oregon to play with 6-foot-5-inch, Jadrian Tracey, at center. Even with the size disadvantage, Tracey stood his ground, and Oregon maintained a two-point lead at the break.

The game stayed close in the second half, with the largest lead by either team being only seven points. Oregon maintained control and led for the final 13 minutes of the game. The final score was 64-59. Jackson Shelstad had a scoring outburst with 16 second half points. He led the team in scoring with 20 points, including shooting four-of-seven from behind the arc. One of his threes was just a couple of feet from the Oregon logo at mid-court. His confidence grows with every game he plays, and the young guard from West Linn is proving he’ll be a force in college basketball.

Oregon’s three-point shooting carried them throughout the game. The Ducks only had 18 points in the paint, and their field goal shooting was at 41%. However, the Ducks hit 10-of-25 shots from deep. UCLA on the other hand, shot 3-of-19, proving to be one of the difference makers in this game.

The Ducks played excellent defense in this afternoon showdown, and their aggression won the game. They may have fouled too much in the first half, but they forced UCLA to make mistakes all game. Oregon had a season-high 12 steals by seven different players, led by Jermaine Couisnard with three. The Ducks also recorded four blocks, three from Kwame Evans Jr. UCLA’s leading scorer on the season, Sebastian Mack, who’s averaging almost 15 points, was held to six points on three-of-eight shooting. The Bruins had 16 turnovers, but the Ducks did not capitalize enough, only scoring 12 points off their opponents’ turnovers.

Oregon had some areas to improve on, despite a competitive win against a solid team. Oregon finished with ten assists, four less than their opponents. At times, their offense was stagnant, and players settled for contested jumpers. The Ducks were out-rebounded in this game, but given the injuries they face, this shouldn’t come as a major surprise. This size advantage was apparent in the shooting percentage of UCLA’s big men. Their two forwards combined for 11 field goals on 14 attempts. While Dante remains sidelined, Oregon will need to find a way to defend without fouling inside the paint.

The game came down to the wire and with 32 seconds, the score was Oregon’s lead, 60-59. After a timeout break, UCLA attempted to trap Oregon in the back court, but with the right passes, the Ducks found themselves on a fast break led by Jackson Shelstad. Shelstad crossed half court and found Evans Jr. under the basket who finished the possession with a poster dunk. The crowd at Matthew Knight Arena went berserk. After a UCLA miss, the Ducks sealed their victory with a couple free-throws from Shelstad.

Oregon improves to 10-3 on the season, 7-0 at home, and 2-0 in Pac-12 play. The Ducks next matchup is against Washington this upcoming Thursday, January 4th. Tip-off will be at 6 PM.