Oregon Outlasts Stephen F. Austin 55-45
Rick Morgan

E.J. Singler's 12 points paced the Oregon Ducks past Stephen F. Austin 55-45 Thursday evening at Matthew Knight Arena. Devoe Joseph (10 pts) was the only other Duck to reach double figure in scoring as the Ducks continued to struggle offensively.

"We as a staff are going to have to simplify things" over the three day holiday break said head Coach Dana Altman. "We are a better offensive team than we've shown and it's up to us to get it simplified so the new players are more comfortable offensively."

"We found a way to win the game, which is essential, but we have got to figure something out offensively and on how to get the ball moving. We have to improve it offensively; it is our job as coaches to make good plays and to get the ball moving."

The Ducks had numerous opportunities to pull away from the Lumberjacks but turnovers and poor shooting never allowed them to stretch their lead beyond the 10 point final margin.

"We are grinding," said Singler. "Offensively we just aren't clicking and I don't know why. During the season you have games like that. The last three games have been rough . We need to work on sharing the ball and helping each other out. I think we are trying to do too many things on our own. We need to play better together and work on getting other people shots."

The win improved Oregon's record to 9-3 on the season and brought the non-conference portion of the 2011-12 schedule to a close. After a three day break for the Christmas holiday the Ducks return on Monday to prepare to open Pac-12 play against Washington State in Spokane on Thursday, December 29 and Washington on New Year's Eve.