EUGENE, Ore. — In a matchup that hadn’t occurred in four decades, the Oregon Ducks emerged victorious over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights with a decisive score of 75-57 on Sunday evening. This win marked an important moment for Oregon as they look to improve their season.
Performing excellently, Jackson Shelstad scored 19 points, showing strong shooting skills with 8-of-13 from the field, including three successful three-pointers. This performance followed a previous career-high of 26 points in a key victory against Northwestern, which ended a challenging five-game losing streak for the Ducks. Meanwhile, teammate Nate Bittle contributed significantly, achieving a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, along with five blocked shots, marking his fourth double-double of the season. TJ Bamba also added to the team’s efforts with 11 points and six assists.
For Rutgers, Lathan Sommerville was the standout, scoring 14 points, while Dylan Harper added 13 points, a performance that fell short of his usual average. Ace Bailey, the team’s leading scorer, struggled, managing only eight points on 4-for-13 shooting, which was well below his season average of 19.1 points per game. Bailey and Harper aimed to become only the second pair of freshman teammates in two decades to average over 19 points a game, a feat previously accomplished by Duke’s Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett during the 2018-19 season.
The game took some turns in the first half when Harper’s three-pointer helped Rutgers establish a 21-14 lead. However, Oregon remained resilient, gradually closing the gap until Supreme Cook and Dylan Grant helped ignite a late half surge. Their combined contributions allowed the Ducks to take a 38-33 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Shelstad continued to shine, hitting a 3-pointer and a pullup jumper that extended Oregon’s lead to 51-44 with roughly 14 minutes to go. He went on to hit two more three-pointers consecutively, pushing the lead to 62-48 with just under 10 minutes remaining. From that point on, Rutgers was unable to narrow the score, remaining behind by at least 12 points until the final whistle.
With this result, Oregon now leads the all-time series against Rutgers 2-1. The Scarlet Knights are facing a tough stretch, having lost their last three games and four of their previous five. Looking forward, Rutgers will travel to Washington on Wednesday, while Oregon prepares for a game against Iowa on the same day.
