Ducks Blitzed In Loss To UC Irvine
EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon men's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the 2022-23 season Friday, a 69-56 loss to UC Irvine in which the Ducks led for only 7 seconds and trailed by as many as 27 before 6,454 fans in Matthew Knight Arena.
N'Faly Dante had 20 points and nine rebounds to continue his strong start to the season for Oregon. But the Ducks began the night 1-of-18 from three-point range and struggled to match UC Irvine's intensity once the Anteaters sensed the chance for an upset.
"We got beat in every fact of the game — hustle, toughness," UO coach Dana Altman said. "We've had a number of practices that resembled that, and I was fearful some time that would come. They were the aggressor right from the start."
How It Happened: The Ducks fell behind early, trailing 12-4 after an eight-point UC Irvine run that Kel'el Ware ended with a jumper. It was 16-8 when Oregon mounted its best run of the night until late in the game, a 10-1 surge that included five points from Dante as the Ducks took an 18-17 lead.
It proved brief, however, as the Anteaters closed the first half on an 18-4 run to lead 35-22 at the break. At that point Oregon was 0-of-7 from three-point range, the Ducks had eight turnovers and UC Irvine had a 13-0 edge in points off turnovers.
UC Irvine stayed hot after halftime, opening the second with an 18-6 surge to lead 55-28. The Anteaters made three-pointers on three of their last four possessions during that run to their largest lead of the game.
"Just a poor mental effort," Altman said. "We didn't compete. I wish I had something positive to say, but just really disappointed. The guys are disappointed; I'm disappointed. Just got punched right from the start."
DJ Davis capped a 24-point night for the visitors with his sixth three-pointer of the game to make it 66-43 with 4:21 to play. The Ducks managed to get within 13 by the final buzzer, with Keeshawn Barthelemey making two three-pointers during a 13-3 run to end the game, and Nate Bittle getting a three to drop as time expired.
Who Stood Out: Dante amassed his 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting, and he had four blocked shots to go with his nine rebounds. Bittle added 10 points and Barthelemy added nine thanks to the late surge.
Up Next: The Ducks host Montana State on Tuesday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).