By Cole Rothman & Sam Greenville
It was a chilly November evening for the season opener at Matthew Knight Arena, the 15th ranked Oregon Ducks faced an experienced Fresno State Bulldogs team coming off their fourth straight season with 23 plus wins. That streak would not include the Ducks as men in white and green won by a score of 71-57, which could have been stretched further if not for a late push and some impressive shooting from behind the arc by the Bulldogs. Senior guard Payton Pritchard played his last home opener for the Oregon Ducks and performed exactly like the seasoned veteran Duck fans have come to expect. Pritchard showed great command of the offense, pushing the ball down the court, as well as showcasing a deadly mid-range jumper that found the bottom of the night more than half a dozen times. Pritchard would lead both teams in points scoring with 24, while adding 7 assists and 7 rebounds to his impressive night. With highly touted recruit N’Faly Dante out of the lineup for the first 9 games, other Ducks stepped up against this experienced Bulldog team. JUCO transfer Chris Duarte added 16 points, and Francis Okoro grabbed 6 offensive rebounds leading to his first ever career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Ducks pulled away in the early minutes of the second half, which led to a raucous Matthew Knight Arena blasting the famed “Shout” and seemingly changing the momentum for the rest of the evening. The key stat of the night for this Oregon team would be their defense on the perimeter, limiting Fresno State to shoot 9-36 from distance. The poor perimeter shooting would spell doom for the Bulldogs as those long rebounds led to easy transition points for Pritchard and the Ducks.
The game was by no means perfect from Coach Dana Altman’s perspective, but it certainly was a good start to the season for the Ducks.This night would as well be a historic event for all in attendance Matthew Knight. Winning the first game of the season is always important, but for Head Coach Dana Altman, tonight’s win would carry much more significance. With this season-opening win, Altman surpassed previous head coach and Ducks legend Ernie Kent with his 236th win as head coach for the Oregon Ducks and this storied program. Altman, stoic as always, when asked about becoming the program’s winningest coach said “really makes me appreciate all the players that have been here”. As well not forgetting to mention the great support from the coaching staff that has surrounded him, and making sure to heap praise upon his head assistant coach Tony Stubblefield, who came to Oregon with Coach Altman back in 2010 and being a part of every victory alongside. While most season openers in basketball can be lost or forgotten as the grind of a long season progresses forward, tonight’s win will be something Duck fans, the University of Oregon, and Coach Altman will remember for a long time. The Ducks will look to add to Coach Altman’s victory total as they face another Mountain West foe in Boise State at Matthew Knight Arena next Saturday at 8 p.m.
Audio Story
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