An awful showing from 3-point range ends in a difficult loss for the Houston Cougars in Oregon.
Cougars fall to Ducks in poor shooting night in Oregon
Last season, the Houston Cougars picked up one of their most impressive victories in a win over the Oregon Ducks on their home floor in Houston. A year later, the No. 11 Ducks revenged their loss by playing both ends of the court at a high level.
Freshman guard Caleb Mills knocked down his first of two 3-point field goal attempts at the 6:53 mark in the first half. The basket was also the first made field goal from behind the arc for the Cougars, who missed their first six attempts inside the Matthew Knight Arena Friday night.
Following the 3 drained by Mills, the Cougars missed their next four 3-point field goal attempts to close out the half (1-11) in one of their worst shooting nights in school history, as the Cougars dropped a 78-66 loss to the Ducks. Mills, who was the only player to hit a 3-point field goal on the night, led the way for Houston with 21 points shooting 8-for-15-from the field, 2-for-6 from behind the arc.
If Houston would have adjusted their offense early in the game, perhaps the Cougars would have come out on the winning side of an eight-point loss. On shots coming from inside the mid-range, the Cougars shot 55.5% in comparison to the 10% from deep by the end of the final buzzer.
While Houston remained cold from the outside, the Ducks played a large factor in the Cougars' poor shooting night due to the intensity Oregon played on defense. Their defensive scheme allowed only one other player to reach double-digits in points, as junior forward Fabian White recording 12 points (6-for-10 FG) in the loss.
The only good stretch for the Cougars came with a little over five minutes left in the first half, when Houston went on a 9-0 run to take a 22-14 lead over the Ducks. Oregon responded to close out the half with an 18-5 run to take a 32-27 lead into the halftime break, and never led up.
In the win, Oregon's senior guard Anthony Mathis led the way for the Ducks with 18 points while shooting 5-for-9 from behind the arc. Mathis' backcourt mate, Payton Pritchard finished with 16 points and a game-high five assists on the night.
Following the loss, the Houston Cougars will look to bounce back on Tuesday, in a game against the Houston Baptist Wolves, inside the Fertitta Center in Houston.
QUICK TIP-INS:
- While the Cougars struggled from deep, the Ducks shot 47.6% from 3-point range.
- The Cougars won the battle of the glass, out-rebounding the Ducks 38-26.
- After a career 32-point night against the Rice Owls on Tuesday, Quentin Grimes scored only eight points on 3-for-8 from the field, 0-for-4 from behind the arc.
