Recap: Oregon defeats Montana in Game 2

Oregon was dominant after about the first 5 minutes of this one against Montana, winning 79-48. Not only did Oregon win, but they covered the spread, as all great teams do. Below is the recap from the great showing in the Friday night win over the Grizzlies.

After a clock issue delayed the start of the game, Oregon started out up 9-7 at the first media timeout. The Ducks looked pretty good early, but failed to get some open shots to fall. They went on a 10-0 mini run as part of a 15-2 run that lasted 6:03. Following these runs, Oregon led 17-7 at the second media timeout with 11:58 left in the first half.

This same run continued after the media timeout and was a 20-2 run over 10:01 with 8:09 left in the first. Following this 20-2 run, Montana would call a timeout and Oregon was up 22-7 with 8:09 left in the half. The Ducks weren’t even shooting well by this point, at 38% from the field and 33% from three. Oregon was fantastic on defense over this stretch however, holding Montana to 13% from the field and 14% from three.

At 4:00 remaining in the first half, Oregon had pushed the score to 31-16. Jadrian Tracey led all scorers with 7 points in only 10 minutes played. Kwame Evans Jr, TJ Bamba, and Brandon Angel all had 5 points to compliment Tracey.

Oregon finished the first half on a 20-6 run over the final 5:43 of the half. Jadrian Tracey and Nate Bittle led all scorers from the first half with 10 points, both making 2 threes each. Keeshawn Barthelemy has continued to me somewhat cold off the bench, shooting 0/3 in the first. TJ Bamba and Jackson Shelstad both got into a bit of foul trouble with 2 fouls a piece. A major positive from the first half was the defense, holding Montana to 23.1% from the field, and 18.2% from deep. The Ducks also forced the Grizzlies into 10 turnovers, while only committing 3 of their own.

In the second half, Oregon was again dominant to start despite a few turnovers. The Ducks would go on another run, a 10-2 run this time over 3:18 by the next media timeout at 11:57 in the second half. True freshman Guard Jamari Phillips would check into the game with 8:55 to go, his first minutes of the season. Oregon would lead 67-38 with 6:31 left after a media timeout. Nate Bittle leading all scorers with 17 points, has another 8 rebounds to go with it.

A few minutes later at the 3:22 media timeout, Oregon led 69-42. Jamari Phillips got 2/3 free throws to fall earlier, for his first points as an Oregon Duck. Walk-on forward James Cooper would see his first action of the season after entering with 1:12 left in the game. Transfer guard Jayson Williams-Johnson would check into the game with 40 seconds left. Freshman Jamari Phillips would knock down his first field goal of the season, knocking down a 3 with 23 seconds left in the game.

Oregon would win this game in dominant fashion 79-48, with some new faces seeing the court. Nate Bittle would lead all scorers with 17 points, and he added 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block. I was really impressed tonight with Oregon’s defense, and it was evident from the tip-off. Oregon held Division II transfer Kai Johnson to zero points in this contest, after he had 27 in Montana’s season opener. They held the Grizzlies to a measly 34% from the field, and 15.8% from deep. The Ducks also forced 14 Montana turnovers, 10 of which were in the first half.

Offensively, Oregon wasn’t anything special, but played well. The Ducks would shoot 45% from the field, 36% from deep, and 69.9% from the charity stripe. Absolutely loved what I saw from TJ Bamba tonight, the senior didn’t always have to attack the hoop and was firing from deep. He would finish with 14 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and a steal in 18 minutes. If Oregon can rely on him and others to step up from downtown, they will be a very formidable team. Jadrian Tracey was also impressive tonight, recording 12 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in 19 minutes.

I was hoping to see Shelstad be more aggressive with his shot-taking tonight, but that just wasn’t the case. The preseason All-Big Ten guard recorded another modest statline of 7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Kwame Evans Jr and Brandon Angel both were solid but not as aggressive as they were against UC Riverside. The true freshman Jamari Phillips would play 8 minutes and record 7 points in his debut. Phillips made 4 of 5 free throws before knocking down a late three.

The team should expect to see Georgetown transfer Supreme Cook back relatively soon, as he was questionable for tonight’s game. Head Coach Dana Altman is likely taking precaution with Cook, who is coming back from knee surgery this offseason. The schedule for the next few games at least is weak enough that the Ducks have the luxury to wait for Supreme. I believe that junior college transfer Dezdrick Lindsay is still a few weeks to a month from being ready to make his debut as well. As for international junior Oleksandr Kobzystyi, he is dealing with an undisclosed injury which is why he is yet to suit up. Walk-on Andre Warren was also out tonight with an undisclosed injury but it sounds like he will be back within the next few weeks.

Oregon’s next opponent is the Portland Pilots on Tuesday, November 12th. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Network at 8pm PST.