Oregon lost to Minnesota 61-44 at Matthew Knight Arena on Tuesday, failing to capitalize on their previous win against Penn State that ended a 10-game losing streak. The Ducks struggled offensively, shooting just 30.4 percent in the first half and were outscored 23-14 over the final 13 minutes after briefly taking the lead in the second half.
“I thought we were ready to go,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “I thought our practices were bouncy Sunday and Monday. So yeah, I thought we were ready to go. But obviously we were stuck in the mud right from the start.”
The Ducks (9-17, 2-13 Big Ten) had difficulty breaking down Minnesota’s zone defense. Nate Bittle led Oregon with 15 points while Kwame Evans Jr. added 13, but the team committed 12 turnovers against the zone and made only two of their twenty three-point attempts.
“We just stood straight up and down, didn’t attack it,” Altman said. “The zone wants you to stand up and look at it. We did, and then we didn’t hit shots. We took a couple bad ones early, which I think kind of got us off on the wrong foot. And didn’t throw the ball inside nearly enough.”
Minnesota outrebounded Oregon 38-28 and limited them to six offensive rebounds as Oregon shot just 20-of-53 overall from the field.
After tying the game at nine midway through the first half, Oregon made only one three-pointer in twelve attempts before halftime and trailed Minnesota 22-17 at intermission.
In the second half, a nine-point run put Oregon ahead briefly at 30-29 following an Evans three-pointer—the team’s only successful long-range shot of that period as well—but Minnesota regained control with a decisive run late in the game.
A pair of dunks by Dezdrick Lindsay and Bittle brought Oregon within three points at one stage, but Minnesota responded by outscoring them 22-8 over the remainder of play, including a game-clinching twelve-point run.
Oregon’s next game is scheduled for Saturday against USC.
