MBB Recap: Ducks blow out Cal 87-58 in must-win game on the road
I left Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday night wondering if the Oregon Ducks’ blowout win over the No. 9 Arizona Wildcats would mean anything. I questioned if the Ducks would use that victory as a jumping off point for the season, ready now to make a second-half run instead of turning around and flopping, much like they did previously against Arizona State.
It appears that the momentum is currently in Eugene, as Dana Altman’s squad came out on Wednesday night and blew the doors off of a bad California Golden Bears team, winning 87-58.
Of course, this is what was supposed to happen. The Golden Bears were 3-15 coming into the season and among the worst teams in the nation. A team as talented as Oregon is supposed to blow them out of the water.
It was just encouraging to see the Ducks play up to their potential. Here’s how it all happened.
Final Score: Oregon TK, California TK
Jan 18, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle (32) and California Golden Bears forward Sam Alajiki (24) vie for a rebound during the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Keys to the game
The offensive woes came back for Oregon, who was unable to put any shots through the net early on vs. Cal. The Ducks were 4-for-11 from the field and 1-for-5 from deep in the first 10 minutes of the game. Fortunately, the Golden Bears couldn’t make any shots either, with the two teams combining to go 7-for-23 in the opening 9 minutes.
The Ducks were able to settle in and start to create a little bit of separation with Cal thanks to a 10-0 run, growing the lead up to double digits by the 4-minute media timeout and ultimately taking a 34-21 lead into the break.
Oregon came out of the half with an apparent mentality that they wanted to put the game away. The halftime lead quickly ballooned to 20 point thanks to a refreshing scoring ability from Rivaldo Soares that we haven’t seen much of this season.
The final 15 minutes of the game were garbage time, with the Ducks holding onto a 20-plus point lead that at times stretched into the 30s.
Players of the Game
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Will Richardson: 11 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds
Rivaldo Soares: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Keeshawn Barthelemy: 10 points, 2 rebounds
N’Faly Dante: 12 points, 7 rebounds
What's Next?
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The Ducks continue their Bay area road trip on Saturday night with an 8 p.m. tip vs. the Stanford Cardinal. It is another game that Oregon absolutely needs to win, with the Cardinal starting the year 5-12.
