Offensive Woes Doom Oregon in Civil War Loss to Oregon State

The Oregon Ducks (11-5) drop the first game of the Civil War series on the road against the Oregon State Beavers (10-5) by a score of 76-64.

Oregon did not show up offensively, shooting just 36 percent from the floor, and not hitting from the three-point range. Oregon State has been prone to allowing the three, but Oregon went 8-29 behind the arc in an overall weak effort.

Payton Pritchard, the Ducks’ leading scorer, did not get his first points until about five minutes into the second half. Pritchard would finish with only nine points and went 1-6 on three-pointers.

Paul White came off the bench and led the Ducks with 16 points. All five of Oregon’s starters combined for 32 points and just could not find any offensive rhythm.

The Ducks and the Beavers each featured first-year standouts in Troy Brown and Ethan Thompson. Both players did not factor much into the equation Friday night with Brown scoring seven points compared to Thompson’s three points.

Thompson’s older brother, Stephen Thompson Jr., delivered a solid outing for the Beavers with 16 points. Tres Tinkle led the Beavers with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Tinkle ignited a 12-1 run in the second quarter after draining a three. The run started after the Beavers turned over the ball and the Ducks’ Victor Bailey Jr. opted to pass instead of the easy layup. Terrible decisions with the basketball hurt the Ducks as offensive consistency remains an issue.

Oregon State held a 30-29 advantage going into halftime after shooting 47 percent from the field. The win gives the Beavers a 187-162 edge over the Ducks in the most contested college basketball rivalry game. January 27 is the next meeting in Eugene.

Oregon drops to 1-2 in Pac-12 play as next week will be a tall order. The Ducks stay on the road and will face the Arizona schools.

Arizona State is the next opponent on Thursday. Tipoff begins at 7:00 p.m. with a telecast on FS1.