Field Level Media
Jan 1, 2021
Eugene Omoruyi scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting as No. 21 Oregon won its coronavirus-delayed Pac-12 home opener, defeating California 82-69 Thursday night in Eugene, Ore.
Chris Duarte (19 points), Eric Williams Jr. (13) and LJ Figueroa (11) also scored in double-figures for the Ducks (7-1, 2-0 Pac-12), who have won seven games in a row since a season-opening loss to Missouri.
Matt Bradley led Cal (5-5, 0-3), which had a three-game winning streak snapped, with 21 points and Makale Foreman added 14.
Bradley, who entered the week leading the Pac-12 with an average of 19.1 points per game, returned after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. However, the Golden Bears' third-leading scorer, Grant Anticevich, remained out after an appendectomy.
The Ducks were scheduled to play host to UCLA on Dec. 23 in a conference game, but that was postponed because one of the officials tested positive for COVID-19.
That meant the Thursday game was the first in 12 days for the Ducks, but the layoff hardly seemed to matter.
With the score tied at 49-all and less than 13 minutes remaining, Ducks reserves Aaron Estrada and Chandler Lawson made back-to-back three-point plays, the latter off an offensive rebound, to give the hosts the lead for good.
Duarte made consecutive 3-pointers to extend Oregon's lead to 15 points with 2:01 left.
The Ducks took a 36-35 halftime advantage on Estrada's buzzer-beating 3-pointer from about 30 feet.
The Ducks scored the first seven points of the game and led 23-16 with 7:50 remaining in the half. The Golden Bears then went on a 17-3 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Foreman, to take a 33-26 advantage.
Bradley scored 15 for Cal in the first half, shooting 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and Omoruyi had 15 points for Oregon.
The Ducks forced 17 turnovers on the night while giving the ball away only nine times, leading to a 25-9 scoring advantage. Oregon also had a 14-1 edge in fastbreak points.
The Ducks played their second game without starting center N'Faly Dante, who will miss the rest of the season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in a 74-64 victory against San Francisco on Dec. 17.
--Field Level Media