After losing three of their previous four games, the Oregon Ducks desperately needed a win against the USC Trojans, and Dana Altman’s team delivered.
The Ducks started the game well on offense, but so did the Trojans. After fewer than seven minutes of game time, both teams had 20+ points. But, Oregon was able to sustain their offense longer than the Trojans, and they pulled out the win.
This game was Oregon’s first without senior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy, who suffered a season-ending leg injury last weekend against Arizona. Without Barthelemy, guards Kario Oquendo and Brennan Rigsby will have expanded roles, and tonight, they both played well on Thursday.
On Saturday, Oregon will take on the UCLA Bruins, looking to pick up their second win of their Los Angeles road trip.
Final Score – Oregon Ducks 78 – USC Trojans 69
Despite a late push from USC, Oregon was victorious against the Trojans for the second time this season.
Keys to the Game
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The Ducks had an offensive explosion to start the game, led by Jackson Shelstad. Oregon scored 19 points in the first five minutes, while the freshman point guard made his first six field goal attempts.
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Oregon’s defense was shaky in the first 20 minutes, allowing 39 first-half points to the Trojans. It looked as though they could be on their way to allowing 80 points in yet another game, but Oregon tightened up their defense thoroughly in the second half, holding USC to 30 points on 37.5% shooting.
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Oregon forced a large sum of turnovers on Thursday, which created a lot of their offense. It also prevented the Trojans from finding much of an offensive rhythm.
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In the final minutes, the Ducks allowed USC to get back into the game with an 11-0 run. A win is a win, but Oregon could’ve won by much more than 9.
Top Performers
Jackson Shelstad: 20 points, 6 assists, 4/6 3Ps
Jermaine Couisnard: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6/8 FTs
N’Faly Dante: 11 points, 4/6 FGs, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks
Kwame Evans Jr.: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Kario Oquendo: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Key Stats
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USC turned the ball over 14 times, 8 of which were Oregon steals
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The Ducks got to the foul line often and made 18/21 (85.7%) of their free throws. USC was 6/6.
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USC protected their own rim well, finishing with 14 blocks. That strong interior defense forced Oregon to shoot more threes, where they shot an efficient 38%.
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The Ducks finished with 17 offensive rebounds and generated 14 second-chance points. The Trojans had 12 offensive boards.
What’s Next?
On Saturday, the Oregon Ducks will play the second leg of their LA road trip against UCLA. The Bruins are 9-11 on the season, but they’ve won five of their last six games. Next week, the Ducks will head back to Eugene for games against Washington and Washington State.
