Four Ducks Score in Double Figures as Oregon Defeats UC Riverside 71-65

Brennan Rigsby turned in his best game as a Duck with 19 points.

Author:
Graham Metzker
Publish date:
Dec 15, 2022 12:17 PM EST

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The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team extended their home win streak at Matthew Knight Arena to four games with a 71-65 win over the UC Riverside Highlanders on Wednesday night.

UC Riverside made it a one-score game with just 23 seconds left thanks to a Wil Tattersall layup, but Oregon never trailed in the game. Four Ducks scored in double figures, and the team as a whole shot a scorching 53.3% from the field.

However, Oregon head coach Dana Altman's eyes took him to the negatives on the stat sheet before the positives. And for good reason.

"They scored 18 points in the last six minutes, and they scored 15 in the first 14 minutes." Altman said after the game. "We were guarding, taking away easy baskets, and then we just let them go on a run. It definitely puts a damper on it."

Altman's leading scorer on the night was Northwest Florida State transfer Brennan Rigsby, who turned in the best performance of his young Oregon career with 19 points on 7-9 shooting from the floor. Rigsby also saw the most minutes of his Oregon career, playing 37 minutes and only sitting out three.

Oregon Ducks guard Brennan Rigsby drives for a layup against UC Riverside.
Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Rigsby pulls up for a shot against UC Riverside.
Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

It's an adjustment for the six-foot-three guard, who had been laboring through a left foot injury and was unavailable to start the season. But Rigsby felt a difference in Wednesday night's game.

"I definitely feel one hundred percent," Rigsby said. "I really think just letting the game come to me, and not really trying to force the action, and being patient."

Besides Rigsby, N'Faly Dante, Will Richardson, and Rivaldo Soares all scored 12 or more points on the night. Richardson continued to prove his early season showings were flukes, as his 13-point performance marked six consecutive games scoring in double figures. Over those six games, Richardson is averaging 18.2 points, and has a steal in every outing.

Ball security was a big issue for the Ducks. Richardson and Quincy Guerrier each had five turnovers, and the team coughed the ball up 16 times. Altman certainly noticed, as he started his post-game press conference on the subject.

"The turnovers, just real sloppy with the ball," said Altman. "You're up 17 with eight-nine minutes to go, you gotta take care of the ball."

For UC Riverside, it was guard Zyon Pullin doing the most damage. Pullin scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half, and scored back-to-back buckets with less than two minutes remaining to cut the Ducks' lead to five.

After Pullin's scores and Tattersall's lay-in, Oregon was able to hold off the comeback at the free throw line. Soares made both of his free throws, then Richardson made one and missed one to get Oregon to 71 points.

Wednesday night marks Oregon's first win against a Big West Conference school this season, after falling to the UC Irvine Anteaters in the second game of the season.

Up next for Oregon are the Portland Pilots for an in-state showdown at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday night.