Eugene, OR – Payton Pritchard scored 12 quick first half points on the way to a team-high 24 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds in leading Oregon to a 96-82 win over Central Arkansas in front of a crowd of 6,908 in Eugene. The Ducks played well from the start and raced out to a 55-40 lead at halftime. Central Arkansas kelp the game relatively close through much of the second half with the lead generally running between nine and 12 points before Oregon coasted to the 14-point win. MiKyle McIntosh (17), Troy Brown Jr. (14) and M.J. Cage (11) joined Pritchard in double-figures.
Central Arkansas (6-7) had two previous games against Pac-12 teams, losing to UCLA 106-101 in overtime and winning easily at Cal 96-69. Their 5-11 senior point guard Jordan Howard lit it up, making all six of his three-point shots in scoring 22 first half points on the way to a game-high 35 points. Howard came into the contest averaging 24 points on 40 percent shooting from downtown. His range goes out further than 25 feet and he connected on 8-of-9 from deep in this contest.
Oregon played the game without 6-9 starter Paul White. McIntosh received much of that time as he was on the floor for 35 minutes and played one of his better games of the year adding six rebounds and two assists to his 17 points. He made 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, as did Troy Brown Jr.. 6-9 freshman Kenny Wooten received his first start after blocking six shots in each of the past two games. Wooten was solid with eight points, six rebounds and three blocks. 6-10 redshirt freshman Cage had his most court action and most productive game of the year finishing with 11 points and four rebounds in a season-high 16 minutes. His previous season-high in minutes was 11 against Colorado State. Cage was active inside and scored three times on offensive rebounds. His size will be needed as Oregon moves into conference play.
Oregon (10-3) now heads into their holiday break. When they return on December 29th they’ll face Utah in Eugene for the start of the Pac-12 season..
This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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