Oregon Ducks flash signs of improvement, fade late in loss to No. 3 Houston Cougars

The Oregon Ducks scratched and clawed their way into contention Sunday against one of the top teams in the nation.

But as has been the case far too often this season, their shooting struggles proved too much to overcome.

Oregon fell, 66-56, to the No. 3 Houston Cougars at Matthew Knight Arena and are now 2-2 on the year.

The Ducks entered the weekend with just eight healthy, scholarship players and were down to seven for much of the game after guard Keeshawn Barthelemy left during the first half with an injury.

Even still, Oregon matched Houston’s vaunted intensity beat-for-beat for much of the evening.

“I was pleased with the way we competed,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We out-rebounded them and did some good things.”

But any hopes the Ducks had of notching a marquee win were torpedoed by a 3-for-22 performance from three-point range and some poor ballhandling.

Houston converted 16 Oregon turnovers into 30 points.

“It was atrocious,” Altman said of Oregon’s ballhandling. “Guys throwing one-handed passes. … Trying to make plays they’re not capable of making.”

N’Faly Dante led the Ducks with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in 35 minutes. He set the tone for Oregon inside as it out-rebounded Houston 37-28 on the night.

All-American guard Marcus Sasser led the Cougars with 16 points and three steals.

Will Richardson played all 40 minutes for the Ducks and scored 13 points. He also committed a team-high seven turnovers.

Barthelemy exited the game near the end of the first half and was later seen with a boot on his left foot.

His departure left the Ducks with just three guards in Richardson, Rivaldo Soares, and Tyrone Williams.

“We just don’t have any guards,” Altman said when asked about Richardson’s playing time. “I don’t know what Keeshawn’s situation is going to be. I don’t like seeing him in a boot. We’ve got (Jermaine Couisnard) out. We’ve got (Brennan Rigsby) out.

“If Keeshawn is out for a while, we’re a little bit guard short.”

Even though they were playing with a short rotation, the Ducks did not lack intensity early in the evening. They forced five turnovers in the first half and got some crucial defensive contributions from Dante and sophomore big-man Nate Bittle.

But Houston’s smothering perimeter defense became too much for Oregon as the first half went on.

The Ducks struggled to get entry passes to their bigs, which limited Dante’s opportunities to exploit his size advantage inside.

Houston took a 31-24 lead into the half, but the Ducks showed immediate signs of life after the break.

Quincy Guerrier drilled a three on Oregon’s first possession of the second half and followed that with a blocked shot at the other end. On the Ducks’ ensuing possession, he finished a layup to cut the Houston lead to 31-29.

But Houston’s shooting ability enabled it to keep the Ducks at arm’s length.

The Cougars knocked down 3-of-4 shots from downtown throughout the first eight minutes of the second half and threatened to take control of the game on a few different occasions.

They finally did so with 11 minutes to go when Jarace Walker buried a hook shot, Reggie Chaney grabbed a steal, and Sasser made a transition layup. That three-play sequence pushed the Cougars’ lead from six points to 10 points in a span of 15 seconds.

Still, the Ducks refused to go away quietly. They pushed the Cougars to the brink and had a chance to make it a one-possession game when they forced a shot clock violation while trailing 60-54 with two minutes to go.

But Guerrier missed a three next time down the floor, and Sasser put the nail in Oregon’s coffin with a corner three at the other end.

“They’re very athletic,” Altman said when asked what makes Houston such a difficult matchup. “They’re experienced and their new guys fit the system pretty good. They play pretty hard. (Kelvin Sampson) does a good job; their athleticism is something you’ve really gotta deal with.”

The Ducks will hope to bounce back quickly as they head into a difficult stretch that will further test their depth. They will kick off play at the PK85 Invitational in Portland on Thursday when they face No. 25 UConn at 5 p.m. PT.

From there, they will face either No. 18 Alabama or Michigan State Friday at a time that is yet to be determined.