Rebuffed: Colorado Buffaloes snap Oregon Ducks men's basketball's six-game win streak
Oregon’s final trip to Boulder for a Pac-12 men’s basketball game ended no different than almost all of its other road games against Colorado.
The Ducks rallied from a double-digit deficit only to lose it again as the Buffaloes snapped Oregon’s six-game win streak with an 86-70 victory Thursday inside CU Events Center.
It was the Ducks’ first loss in conference play. That it came on the road against the Buffaloes was no surprise as Oregon has now lost 10 times in its 11 trips to Colorado during the Pac-12 era.
Reserve guard Jadrian Tracey led the Ducks (13-4, 5-1 Pac-12) with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Jermaine Couisnard had 11 points.
Center N’Faly Dante, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the season opener, had seven points, five rebounds, three steals and one block.
Oregon trailed by 14 points, 43-29, with roughly a minute left in the first half but scored the final five points before the break to get their deficit into single digits by halftime.
The Ducks followed with a strong start to the second half and went up 50-49 with 15:01 to play on a pair of free throws by Couisnard.
Oregon was still leading, 57-56, at the 11:20 mark when the Buffaloes went on a 26-9 run over the next eight-plus minutes to take an 82-66 advantage with 2:58 to play.
Colorado (13-5, 4-3) made 10-of-13 field goals during that stretch.
“Disappointed with our competitiveness in the first half,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said during his postgame radio appearance on KUJZ-FM. “Second half we came out … we took a lead, our activity was great, everything we needed to do to win, but then it went down.”
Even with the loss, the Ducks continue to sit alone atop the Pac-12 standings, with Arizona, Arizona State and Stanford tied for second at 4-2.
Rough night on the boards for Oregon
The Ducks were outrebounded 37-25, which tied for their worst rebound margin of the season and set a season low for total rebounds.
Their total included just five offensive rebounds on 30 missed shots as Oregon was 26-for-56 from the field (46.4%) and 8-for-22 from 3-point range (36.4%).
That rebounding edge helped Colorado get down the court and the Buffaloes outscored the Ducks 28-13 in fast-break points.
The Buffaloes had the best freshman on the floor
Oregon’s roster includes two freshmen who were McDonald’s All-Americans and another freshman who has helped lead the Ducks’ rise to the top of the conference standings as their starting point guard.
Colorado’s Cody Williams outplayed them all.
The Buffaloes’ star freshman led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting with three assists, two rebounds and two blocks.
Jackson Shelstad had nine points on 3-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range for Oregon.
It was Shelstad’s first time not scoring in double figures in 11 games.
Starting forward Kwame Evans Jr. had just three points and two rebounds — his fewest boards in nine games.
Forward Mookie Cook, who only recently returned from an injury that had sidelined him for eight months, played just four minutes.
What's next for the Ducks
The Ducks stay on the road to play at noon Sunday against Utah at Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The Utes (13-5, 4-3 Pac-12) are coming off a 74-47 win against Oregon State on Thursday. The game will air on ESPN.
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Pac-12 men's basketball: Colorado snaps Oregon's six-game win streak
