The Oregon Ducks remained undefeated in the young men’s basketball season on Monday night. The Ducks traveled down to Tallahassee, Florida, to face off against the Florida A&M Rattlers, and they improved their record to 4-0. The game was closer than it should’ve been, but the Ducks still managed to get a win.
After a hot start offensively, the Ducks cooled off and played sloppy basketball for the rest of the first half. They entered the break only up by one point. After halftime though, things started to click more on offense and the Ducks built a comfortable lead, which they carried to the finish.
Below are all of my instant reactions to Oregon’s fourth win of the season.
Final Score – Oregon Ducks 67 – Florida A&M Rattlers 54
Keys to the Game
Oregon’s shooting won them this game. Across the board, the Ducks made key three-pointers and free throws
The Ducks couldn’t get out of their own way in the first half. Whether it was missed layups, errant passes, or bad shot selection, Oregon just couldn’t get things to click in the opening period
Things got cleaned up in the second half. After turning the ball over plenty of times in the first half, the Ducks went over five minutes without a turnover to start the second half.
Oregon began to pull away after hitting three 3-point shots in a row midway through the second half.
Top Performers
Jadrian Tracey: 13 points, 6 rebounds
Jermaine Couisnard: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
Jesse Zarzuela: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Keeshawn Barthelemy: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Kario Oquendo: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Key Stats
Oregon made 7 threes in Monday’s game. Five of those threes were in the second half.
The Ducks shot 61.1 percent from the free-throw line.
The Ducks had 8 turnovers (6 in the first half) and only 5 assists
At the half, Florida A&M had five more rebounds than the Ducks, but in the second half, Oregon had a +11 rebound differential.
Oregon played well on the defensive end. They finished with 4 blocks, 7 steals, and held the Rattlers to 37.7 percent from the field.
What’s Next?
Oregon will stay down in Florida this week as they prepare for the Emerald Coast Classic. Their first game will be against the undefeated Santa Clara, and if the Ducks win that game they’ll play the winner of Alabama vs. Ohio State.
