How it happened: Oregon falls to No. 3 Arizona in a nail-biter, 84-81

With the season on the line, the Oregon Ducks couldn’t complete the improbable upset over the No. 3 Arizona Wildcats.

They were close throughout the entire game, and ended up going into the final 10 seconds of the game down 3 with a chance to tie it and send it into overtime, but Will Richardson passed up on a look from deep and attempted a jumper from the paint that got blocked. Arizona prevailed.

While Richardson obviously wants that last possession back, he led the Ducks in what was a great game. The senior finished with 22 points and 3 rebounds. N’Faly Dante also had his best game of the season, with 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Quincy Guerrier had his best game as a Duck with 21 points on a career-high six made threes.

Here is how the game went down:

Final Score: No. 3 Arizona 84, Oregon 81

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Keys to the game

Chris Coduto-USA TODAY Sports

• The Ducks came out of the gates ready to play against Arizona, with Quincy Guerrier leading the way. Guerrier started the game by converting a 3-point play and then hit 3 threes to give Oregon a small lead early on.

• Oregon’s inspired play continued, and they eventually build a 32-20 lead over Arizona midway through the first half. Oregon’s deep-shooting struggles certainly were not present in Tuscon.

• The Ducks let Arizona back into the game after a 10-0 run, but were able to enter halftime with a 47-45 lead.

• Oregon started the 2nd half strong, but Arizona went on a 10-2 run soon after to take the lead, their first since early in the first half. It was Will Richardson doing most of the work on offense for the Ducks.

• The Ducks kept it close throughout the second half, thanks to great shooting from Richardson and Guerrier. At the 7 minute mark, Oregon trailed 71-70.

• With the game tied at 76-76, 2 minutes remaining, Arizona hit a deep three to go up. However, Jacob Young took a steal the other way on the next possession to cut the lead to 1. Both teams swapped trips to the FT line, and Arizona held an 81-78 lead with 38 seconds left. Jacob Young came down and missed a layup that would have cut the lead to one.

• After a pair of FTs from Arizona, Guerrier came down and hit a deep 3 to make it an 83-81 game with 14 seconds. Arizona missed one FT leaving the door open for the Ducks to tie it with a 3 at the buzzer, but Will Richardson failed to get a shot off, leading to the Arizona win.

Players of the Game

(Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

• Will Richardson: 22 points

• N’Faly Dante: 13 points, 15 rebounds

• Quincy Guerrier: 21 points (6 made threes)

What's Next?

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Ducks return home next week and host the Southern California schools, starting with No. 13 UCLA on Thursday night. The last time Oregon played the Bruins, they defeated them in OT and kicked off what was their best weekend of the year.

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