Oregon Ducks Basketball Loses To Purdue Boilermakers, Offense Struggles

The Oregon Ducks fell to the Purdue Boilermakers Saturday afternoon 65-58. Oregon had their worst offensive game of the season under coach Dana Altman and struggled keeping Purdue off the glass.
Jan 18, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Brandon Angel (21) grabs a rebound during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
Jan 18, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Brandon Angel (21) grabs a rebound during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks hosted the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon. It was a top-25 matchup in the Big Ten with the Ducks ranked No. 13 and the Boilermakers ranked No. 17 in the country. Purdue came into Matthew Knight Arena red hot, winning their previous six games. The Ducks were fresh off a perfect 2-0 road trip, beating Ohio State and Penn State. 

In a low scoring game, Purdue was able to pull out a 65-58 win over the Ducks. 

Oregon Ducks Offense Struggles in Loss 

Jan 18, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman watches the game action during the first half against
Jan 18, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman watches the game action during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks' offensive struggles were the main culprit in their 65-58 home loss to the Purdue Boilermakers. Oregon was unable to get in a rhythm all game long and it resulted in them having their lowest point total of the season. The Ducks shot 36 percent from the field and had 16 turnovers.

What makes this loss so frustrating for Oregon is that they held Purdue to 33.9 percent shooting from the field and still lost on their home court. The Ducks were not able to keep the Boilermakers off the glass and allowed 12 offensive rebounds. 

It was a back and forth affair in the first half, with Oregon taking a 31-30 lead into the break. Dana Altman spoke at halftime about what his team needed to clean up in the second, 

“Second chance points hurt us,” Altman said. “Going to have to get on the boards and get the ball to Nate (Bittle) inside.”

The Ducks came right out of the break and gave the ball to Bittle on the first play for a layup to take a 33-30 lead. Then, the drought happened. Oregon didn’t score a single point for eight minutes and Purdue took a 41-33 lead with 11:50 remaining in the game. 

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Bittle and Shelstad Late Scoring Run Not Enough

Jan 18, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) dribbles the ball against Purdue Boilermakers guar
Jan 18, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) dribbles the ball against Purdue Boilermakers guard Myles Colvin (5) during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Oregon ended their eight minute scoring drought with a pair of triples from guards Jadrian Tracey and Jackson Shelstad to cut the Boilermakers lead to 42-41 with nine minutes to go. Purdue continued to grind out possessions down the stretch and got their lead up to 59-48 with under two minutes left in the game.

Ducks center Nate Bittle hit back to back threes and Shelstad dropped two free throws to give the Ducks a chance in the final minute down just 60-56. The game essentially ended when Shelstad took a deep three trying to cut the 61-56 Purdue lead to two, but missed and Purdue gained possession. The Boilermakers knocked down their free throws and sealed up the 65-58 win.

Bittle and Shelstad combined for 33 points while the rest of the Ducks team scored 25 points total. The Boilermakers were led by Trey Kaufman-Renn's 23 points and 11 rebounds and Braden Smith's 15 points and seven assists.

The Ducks fall to 4-3 in Big Ten conference play and 15-3 overall. All three of Oregon’s losses have been at home to Big Ten opponents. Purdue on the other hand improved to 7-1 in Big ten conference play and 15-4 overall. 

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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.