Field Level Media
Mar 1, 2021
Chris Duarte scored 22 points and Eugene Omoruyi added 21 as Oregon ended Arizona's season by beating the Wildcats for the seventh consecutive time, winning 80-69 on Monday night in Eugene, Ore.
Duarte connected on 4 of 5 attempts from 3-point range, leading an Oregon barrage from deep. The Ducks hit 12 of 22 from beyond the arc. Omoruyi scored 13 of his points in the second half, overcoming a slow start in which he missed his first seven shots.
The Ducks (17-5, 12-4 Pac-12) have won eight of their past nine games and can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament if they beat UCLA on Wednesday and Oregon State on Sunday.
James Akinjo led Arizona (17-9, 11-9) with 19 points and eight assists. Azuolas Tubelis scored 12. Bennedict Mathurin contributed nine points and seven rebounds.
The Wildcats will not play in the conference tournament due to a self-imposed one-season postseason ban amid allegations of NCAA infractions.
Oregon was the only team to outrebound Arizona this season; the Ducks did so twice, including 37-29 on Monday night.
Oregon led 40-36 at halftime and Arizona never got closer than that. The Wildcats were within 57-52 at the midway point of the second half, but Omoruyi scored the game's next six points and the Ducks maintained a comfortable lead for the rest of the game, shooting 57.1 percent in the second half.
Omoruyi was active outside (3 of 6 3-pointers) and inside, drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line, where he made 8 of 9 attempts.
Oregon made five of its first six 3-point attempts to take a 19-11 lead before going scoreless for nearly five minutes. Arizona surged to its biggest advantage at 33-27 before the momentum switched again.
Omoruyi and Duarte drained 3-pointers to spark a 10-0 run for a 37-33 lead with 1:37 left in the half. The Ducks took a 40-36 lead into the break.
Oregon has won 10 of the past 12 meetings against Arizona.
--Field Level Media