Oregon aims to remain unbeaten as Troy visits

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Off to a 3-0 start, Oregon hosts Troy in the first game between the schools on Sunday afternoon in Eugene, Ore.

Oregon is coming off an 80-70 overtime win over in-state rival Portland on Tuesday. The Ducks trailed by as many as 13 in the second half and were down 11 with less than five minutes left in regulation before rallying.

It wasn’t a solid performance for the Ducks, who looked better in wins over California-Riverside and Montana. The Pilots took advantage of the Ducks’ cold shooting and defensive miscues to take the lead and hold it for much of the game.

Pacing the Ducks’ comeback, Jadrian Tracey provided energy and offense off the bench with 19 points and four steals, and Keeshawn Barthelemy was clutch down the stretch, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the last four minutes of the second half.

“Those first 36 minutes were probably the worst 36 minutes we’ve played all season, honestly, including myself,” Barthelemy told the Register-Guard in Eugene. “Defensively, we didn’t impose our will, we gave up a lot of easy baskets, we messed up a lot of switches, we were just too cool to care at that point. It was probably really obvious from the naked eye.”

Troy (2-1) of the Sun Belt Conference posted wins over Toledo and New Orleans before a 65-49 loss at No. 18 Arkansas on Wednesday.

The Trojans led the Razorbacks 27-26 at halftime but couldn’t sustain the defensive effort in the second half

“First half, we were locked in and did a great job executing. When the defense is down on our end, it’s a little easier to help our guys out,” head coach Scott Cross told the school’s athletics website. “Second half, we just turned the ball over and didn’t have the same grit and toughness defensively. We didn’t do the little things we normally do.”

Jackson Fields leads Troy in scoring at 12.7 points per game. He had a team-high 13 against Arkansas.

–Field Level Media