No. 5 Arizona suffers worst loss in over 7 years to No. 13 Oregon
Feb 4, 2017, 4:25 PM
(AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
EUGENE, Ore. — Tyler Dorsey scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers, and No. 13 Oregon snapped Arizona’s 15-game winning streak with a decisive 85-58 victory over the fifth-ranked Wildcats on Saturday.
Dillon Brooks added 18 points and four 3s as the Ducks (21-3, 10-1 Pac-12) extended their home winning streak to 40 games, an ongoing school record. Going into the game, it was the second-longest streak in the nation behind Kansas with 51, but the Jayhawks fell at home to Iowa State 92-89 in overtime earlier Saturday.
Oregon hit 16 3-pointers, most since opening Matthew Knight Arena in 2011.
Rawle Alkins had 16 points for the Wildcats (21-3, 10-1) in their worst loss under coach Sean Miller since they fell 99-69 to BYU on Dec. 28, 2009. Their 15-game winning streak was the third-longest streak in the nation.
The Ducks had been struggling, losing on the road to unranked Colorado last weekend then barely escaping Arizona State 71-70 on Thursday.
But they didn’t have trouble against the Wildcats, leading by as many as 37 points.
Oregon’s shots from the perimeter were falling early. Dorsey hit three consecutive 3-pointers to put the Ducks up 19-6 in the first half. Arizona scored five straight to quiet the crowd.
The Ducks pulled away with a 17-0 run that included a string of five straight 3-pointers. Casey Benson and Chris Boucher each hit 3s that put the Ducks up 27-11, then Benson added two more and Dorsey hit another to stretch the lead to 36-11 and put the crowd on its feet.
Arizona struggled from the field, going 7:03 without a basket. They were 0 for 11 from the field, making just two free throws as the Ducks built a 38-13 lead. The drought ended with Chance Comanche’s dunk with 2:33 left.
Oregon, with 10 3-pointers, led 38-18 at the half.
Brooks’ decisive dunk gave Oregon a 49-26 lead with 15:52 left and Arizona never threatened.
The game was Oregon’s fifth sellout of the season. The student section threw chalk powder into the air after Oregon’s first basket of the game which spread to the court and caused a delay while it was cleaned up. Ducks coach Dana Altman was not happy, and the arena announcer issued a warning to the fans.
Arizona was coming off a 71-54 victory over Oregon State on Thursday. The Wildcats’ two previous losses this season came to Butler and then-No. 8 Gonzaga on Dec. 3. Arizona defeated then-No. 3 UCLA 96-85 on Jan. 21.
It is the first time that teams ranked within the top 15 have met at Matthew Knight Arena since it opened for the conference season in 2011.
Arizona was the last team to beat the Ducks at home back in January 2015.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: Arizona shot just 25.8 percent from the field in the first half for its lowest first-half point total of the season. The previous low was against Gonzaga, when the Wildcats trialed 38-26 and shot 35.7 percent.
Oregon: Nike co-founder Phil Knight was at the game. … This week Oregon appeared in the AP Top 25 for the 21st consecutive week, matching the longest streak in school history.
UP NEXT:
Arizona: The Wildcats host Stanford on Wednesday.
Oregon: The Ducks visit No. 11 UCLA on Thursday.
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