Ducks Defend MKA In Home Finale With 73-64 Win Over Indiana
Oregon Athletics media release –
Ducks Surge Past Hoosiers on Senior Night
EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon Ducks closed the home schedule with a 73-64 victory over Indiana on Senior Night. Jackson Shelstad hit an electrifying three-pointer late in the second half that sparked a 10-0 run, giving the Ducks the lead for good.
T.J. Bamba earned praise for coaches and teammates alike for his commitment to the defensive end down the stretch, as he locked down Indiana’s shot makers on the perimeter, while Nate Bittle secured things around the basket. “TJ’s defense the last two minutes was really good,” said Head Coach Dana Altman. “He gave up that three, but he locked them up those last two minutes and kind of inspired the rest of the team.”
How It Happened: Oregon started strong offensively and led by as many as nine in the first half, but Indiana was a force in the paint and answered all of Oregon’s early runs. Nate Bittle scored six points in the first four minutes and gave the Ducks a 20-15 lead at the first media timeout. Oumar Ballo responded with six points of his own for Indiana to keep things close.
UO went on their biggest run of the half behind three pointers from Kwame Evans Jr. and Jackson Shelstad to go up 38-19. The Hoosiers responded with an eight-zero run to cut Oregon’s lead to one. Two T.J. Bamba free throws pushed it back to a 35-32 Oregon advantage at the half.
The second half started at the same electrifying pace as the first, with both teams trading baskets to open the final 20 minutes. A lay-in by Keeshawn Barthelemy and an and-one by Jadrian Tracey gave the Ducks a 47-42 edge, but Indiana responded with an 8-0 to retake the lead. Bamba stopped the run with a layup, launching a 6-0 UO run to put the Ducks up, 53-50.
The two sides continued to traded baskets before IU took the lead, 59-57, with eight minutes left to play, but four points from Brandon Angel and another driving score by Bamba gave the Ducks a 63-61 advantage. Indiana answered with their ninth trey of the night to regain the lead with 1:58 left to play.
The Ducks were stopped for 25 seconds of the ensuing possession. With the shot clock winding down, Bittle found Shelstad just outside the “O” at mid-court, and just like he did against Wisconsin, the sophomore drained the deep three that sent the 9,584 fans inside Matthew Knight Arena into a frenzy.
Bittle shut down any chance of an IU response, nabbing his first steal of the night and drawing the foul to grow the Duck lead. He and Shelstad combined to shoot 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:05 to give Oregon its largest lead of the night, ending the game on a 10-0 run.
Up Next: The Ducks round out the regular season on the road against Washington on Sunday (12 p.m. PT, Big Ten Network.)