EUGENE, OR – The Oregon Ducks have finally shattered their 5-game losing streak, but not without a serious scare! After a wild second-half surge from Northwestern, which poured in 50 points, the Ducks held on to secure an 81-75 victory in front of 6,039 fans at Matthew Knight Arena.
Jackson Shelstad was nothing short of spectacular, lighting up the court with a career-high 26 points, shooting an impressive 8-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and perfect from the free-throw line at 6-of-6. His performance was the driving force in keeping Oregon ahead and putting an end to their longest losing streak in 11 years.
“This win was desperately needed, but we’ve got to learn from it,” said head coach Dana Altman. “We can’t let our defense slip in the second half like that. We’ve given up 50 points in both the last two second halves, and that’s got to change.”
While Shelstad stole the show, Keeshawn Barthelemy added 19 points, and Nate Bittle chipped in with 14 points and 7 rebounds. The Ducks’ offensive explosiveness kept them in control, despite a disastrous second-half drought, where they went just 3-of-15 from the field and failed to hit a field goal in the final 4:39. But the free-throw line was their saving grace—Oregon shot an incredible 25-of-28, including 21-of-24 in the second half, to hold off Northwestern’s late push.
Northwestern wasn’t backing down, as Ty Berry erupted for 23 points and freshman K.J. Windham added 20, helping the Wildcats cut a 14-point halftime deficit down to single digits with a furious rally in the second half. But in the end, the Ducks clung to their lead and closed it out for their much-needed win.
“We’re just glad to get back in the win column,” said Shelstad. “It got a little ugly toward the end, but we’ve got to learn to play a full 40 minutes of our best basketball.”
With the victory, Oregon (17-8, 6-8 Big Ten) remains tied for 11th place in the Big Ten with six regular-season games left. They’ll face another critical showdown against Rutgers on Sunday at 4 p.m. (FS1)—and the Ducks are ready to carry this momentum into the rest of the season.
