Eugene, OR- The University of Portland men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season to the No. 6 ranked Oregon Ducks with a 96-66 showing on Wed., Dec. 4 in Eugene, OR. Portland moves to 3-1 overall and the Ducks improve to 4-0 on the season.

Portland struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 12-of-31 from the field and 3-of-11 from three-point range. The Pilots went to the free-throw line just four times in the first half, while the Ducks made 9-of-11 free-throws. Oregon shot 50 percent from the field before the break and controlled the tempo from the opening tip. Portland battled, but was physically out-manned and the Ducks had a 20-point lead heading into halftime, 50-30.

On the night, Portland scored 27 points from the bench and 10 points on fast breaks. The Ducks held the advantage on the boards, 45-29 and made 19 second-chance shots. Oregon racked up 26 points in the paint and 32 points off Portland turnovers throughout the game.

“We were out-played and out-coached by the No. 6 ranked team in the country tonight,” said Head Coach Michael Holton. “They executed from the opening tip and defensively took us out of our system.”

Karl Aaker came off the bench to lead the Pilots with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot. Aaker shot 5-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc on the night. Donald Wilson totaled 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line. Freshman Eugene Jeter added nine points, while teammate Brian Kim tallied six points in six minutes of play. Holton cleared the bench as 13 Pilots saw time in the game. For the game, Portland shot 20-of-59 (34 percent) from the field, 6-of-22 (27 percent) from three-point range and 20-of-23 (87 percent) from the charity stripe.

“I knew they would come out tonight with a lot of momentum and they capitalized on our mistakes early on,” said Holton. “As a team, we’ll learn from this and move forward.”

Oregon saw five players score in double-figures on the night. Luke Jackson led all players with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, along with 12 rebounds, three assists and one steal. Luke Ridnour scored 17 points, while teammates Andre Joseph and Ian Crosswhite each added 16 points. Oregon shot 49 percent (31-64) from the field, 35 percent (9-26) from three-point range and 76 percent (25-33) from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT: Portland will host the Oregon State Beavers on Sat., Dec. 7 at the Chiles Center in Portland, OR. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.