Oregon Defeats Oregon State in 350th Civil War

The Oregon Ducks (14-7, 4-4) built an early lead and never looked back, defeating the Oregon State Beavers (11-9, 4-4) in the 350th Civil War, 66-57.

In the last few matchups, the Ducks have gone down to the wire in the final minutes. After gaining a significant lead in the first half, Oregon buckled down defensively to prevent Oregon State from stealing a victory in Eugene.

Oregon State got the better jump on Oregon to begin the second half. A double-digit lead for the Ducks started to dwindle as the Beavers got within eight points of the lead. Oregon struggled from the floor, shooting only 25 percent (6-24).

But early foul trouble for the Beavers proved costly, sending the Ducks to the line early and converting free throws. The Beavers attempted to make a late push in the game, but the Ducks responded and preserved the lead.

After exchanging field goals to open the contest, the Ducks began taking control of the game with a 14-4 run. The Beavers called timeout as turnovers (nine), and poor shooting (47 percent) saw the Ducks take advantage of the miscues.

Tres Tinkle and Drew Eubanks played prominent roles in the first meeting up in Corvallis. In Eugene, the two struggled to gain footing in the contest and finished with a combined 15 points.

"Our defense has gotten better," said Payton Pritchard who finished with seven points and seven assists for the Ducks. "Our communication is way better, and we limited them on offensive rebounds.

Oregon State’s woes kept growing after the timeout as Oregon built an eighteen-point lead after a 10-2 run. The Ducks shot 65 percent from the field, going into the break with a 41-25 advantage. Elijah Brown paced the Ducks with 18 points (4-5 from three-point range) in the quarter. He would finish with 20 points.

"When Elijah's hitting shots, that is when we are at his best," said White. "The floor can open more. He helped us today."

Amongst the starters for the Ducks, Brown was only one who got going offensively as Coach Altman went to the bench immediately. The move worked in his favor as Paul White put up 11 points. White would finish with 17 points.

"The ball movement was good in the first half," said White. "Luckily I was on the receiving end of the movement and took advantage of the openings I saw.

Coach Altman was pleased with the performance by his team despite the offense going stagnant in the second quarter. For the Ducks to continue building success, consistency on defense and playing with a sense of urgency will be critical.

The Bay Area is up next as Oregon hits the road to face Cal and Stanford. The Bears will be first up on Thursday. Tipoff begins at 6:00 p.m. with a telecast on the Pac-12 Networks.