Only two games into the season, the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team has already shown it can win in more ways than one. In the season opener, the Ducks offense was rolling, where they just defeated UC-Riverside 91-76.

But here in their most recent game against Montana, the Ducks stymied the Grizzlies on the defensive end and went 79-48. The Grizzlies were forced to shoot just 34 percent from the field and 3 of 19 from long range.

The wide margin of victory allowed head coach Dana Altman to watch some of the new Ducks play and see how they fit into the system. True freshman Jamari Carter played much of the second half, contributing seven points, including his first three-pointer.

Oregon vs. Montana Keys to the Game

• After the game was postponed due to clock issues, the two teams finally got to work. The game ended at seven points apiece, the Ducks going on a 15-0 run over the next eight minutes to blow the game open.
• The Ducks focused on the defensive end and shut down the Montana shooters. Money Williams, who opened his season with 27 points against Hawaii-Hilo, washed to just eight points for the game.
• Nate Bittle showed his versatility in this game as he was difficult to guard both inside and outside. The big center hit three three-pointers.
• Oregon was able to stay out of trouble and filled in when the Ducks wanted to, rather than being forced to take players out, giving Altman a chance to see a variety of lineups.

Oregon vs. Montana Players of the Game

• Nate Bittle: 17 points, 9 rebounds
• TJ Bamba: 14 points, 18 minutes
• Jadrian Tracey: 12 points
• Joe Pridgen (Montana): 14 points, 6 of 7 FG

Oregon vs. Montana Notable statistics

• Oregon: 27 of 60 FG (45 percent), Montana 17 of 50 FG (34 percent)
• Oregon: 9 of 25 (36 percent) on 3-pt FG, Montana: 3 of 19 (16 percent)
• Turnovers: Oregon 8, Montana 14
• Fast break points: Oregon 14, Montana 0

What’s next for the Oregon Ducks?

• November 12 — vs. Portland Pilots
• November 17 – vs. Troy-Trojans
• November 22 – at Oregon State Beavers
• November 26 — vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)
• November 27 — vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas, Player’s Era Festival)

Oregon won’t get much time off as the Ducks host Portland on Tuesday as they continue a tough non-conference schedule before entering Big Ten competition. We’ll learn a lot about Oregon when they go to Sin City and play Texas A&M and San Diego State.