National Basketball Association
Oregon 81, Montana 67
When: 10:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Oregon
Officials:
# Kipp Kissinger, # Randy McCall, # Tony Padilla
Attendance:
6689
By The Sports Xchange
EUGENE, Ore. -- Chris Boucher finished one rebound shy of becoming the first Oregon player in nearly 30 years to record 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game.
The senior center amassed 23 points, 19 rebounds and five blocked shots while leading No. 22 Oregon to a 81-67 win over Montana on Tuesday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
"Twenty rebounds didn't matter, I just wanted to win," said Boucher said, who nearly matched the last 20-20 performance for Oregon, accomplished by Greg Ballard in 1977. "Do my job."
Senior guard Dylan Ennis scored 22 points, and freshman guard Payton Pritchard had 12 for the Ducks, who won their seventh in a row.
"We are still coming together from the start of the year," Pritchard said. "We have made a bunch of improvements with more to come."
Guard Ahmaad Rorie scored 19 points to lead the Grizzlies (3-8). Montana guards Michael Oguine and Walter Wright each scored 12 points.
Oregon (9-2) took a 38-34 halftime lead before Pritchard opened the second half with a 3-pointer. Rorie scored five straight points to get the Grizzlies within 41-39 before Ennis made a free throw for Oregon. Rorie got Montana within 42-41 on a basket before Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey hit a 3-pointer.
Guard Sayeed Pridgett answered with a bucket for Montana, and Rorie scored to cut Oregon's lead to 46-45 before the Ducks scored nine straight points.
Forward Dillon Brooks had four points in a row and Boucher scored before Ennis made a 3-pointer to put Oregon ahead 55-45. Forward Fabijan Krslovic scored for Montana, and Wright made a 3-pointer to get the Grizzlies within 57-50 before Ennis scored for the Ducks.
Oguine scored the next five points for Montana to close within 59-55 before forward Jordan Bell scored for the Ducks.
Montana trailed 63-58 on a tip-in by Krslovic before Boucher scored and Bell got a steal and layup to push the Ducks ahead 67-58. Forward Jack Lopez hit a 3-pointer for Montana before Ennis had two free throws and added a 3-pointer. Dorsey scored to put Oregon ahead 74-61.
"I keep saying how much work we have to do, but we keep finding ways to win games," Oregon coach Dana Altman said.
After Oguine opened the game with a basket, Oregon scored 10 straight points beginning with a basket by Boucher. Bell had a steal and layup before Pritchard made a layup.
Ennis drove for a basket and Boucher made two free throws to put Oregon ahead 10-2.
Wright scored five straight points and Oguine made three free throws to tie the game 10-10. Rorie put Montana ahead before Bell scored to tie the game for Oregon.
Lopez made a 3-pointer for Montana and Rorie added a layup. Boucher made two free throws for Oregon, but forward Jared Samuelson had a tip-in and Rorie scored to put the Grizz ahead 21-14.
Ennis scored for Oregon and Boucher got a steal and layup before Oguine scored for Montana. Forward Keith Smith scored for Oregon and Ennis added two free throws to pull the Ducks within 23-22. Boucher scored to put Oregon ahead, and Smith added a bucket as Oregon rolled up eight points in a row.
Krslovic scored for Montana before Ennis added a basket for Oregon. Rorie scored for Montana and Pritchard followed with a basket before Krslovic converted a three-point play to tie the game 30-30.
Boucher had two free throws and Pritchard made a 4-pointer before Pridgett had a basket to get Montana within 35-34. Ennis capped the half with a 3-pointer that put Oregon ahead by four.
Oregon wound up shooting 51.7 percent from the floor, while Montana hit 39.1 percent of its field-goal attempts. The Ducks posted a 40-34 rebounding advantage.
NOTES: Oregon won its 32nd consecutive home game, a streak that ranks third behind South Dakota State and Kansas among active NCAA runs. ... The Ducks are ranked in the AP poll for the 14th week in a row, the third-longest streak in school history. ... Oregon won its 100th game at Matthew Knight Arena in the 113th game at the venue. ... Montana sophomore PG Ahmaad Rorie played one season at Oregon as a freshman before transferring to the Grizzlies.
Top Game Performances
Montana |
|
Oregon |
Ahmaad Rorie 19 |
Scoring |
Chris Boucher 23 |
Ahmaad Rorie 3 |
Assists |
Dillon Brooks 4 |
Sayeed Pridgett 6 |
Rebounds |
Chris Boucher 19 |
Michael Oguine 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Chris Boucher 5 |
Walter Wright 3 |
Steals |
Jordan Bell 2 |
Michael Oguine 1 |
Blocks |
Chris Boucher 5 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Montana
|
67 |
39.1 |
5-17 |
8-11 |
11 |
28 |
1 |
6 |
13 |
Oregon
|
81 |
51.7 |
6-19 |
15-25 |
16 |
39 |
8 |
8 |
13 |