MISSOULA -- The No. 8 Oregon Ducks raced past the Montana men's basketball team 81-48 on Wednesday night in Eugene.
Five Oregon players scored in double figures led by Payton Pritchard and Will Richardson, who each scored 14 points. Oregon dominated Montana on the glass with 40 rebounds to UM's 24. The Ducks also forced 20 Griz turnovers.
Kendal Manuel led Montana with 15 points while Sayeed Pridgett scored 11.
Montana kept it close in the early going of the game and a Derrick Carter-Hollinger layup with just more than 10 minutes to go in the first half tied it 12-12. However, Oregon's Chris Duarte drilled a 3-pointer that sparked an 11-0 Oregon run and the Ducks ran away from there.
Montana did force 15 Oregon turnovers but shot just 36.5 percent (19 for 52) from the field, including 4 for 17 from deep. Pridgett led Montana with eight rebounds and three assists.
Oregon (9-2) was the fourth Power 5 conference school the Grizzlies have faced this season but by far the toughest. On Saturday, the Ducks topped then-No. 5 Michigan 71-70 in an overtime thriller in Ann Arbor. The Ducks were the preseason picks to win the Pac-12.
Oregon also beat ranked Memphis and Seton Hall back earlier in the season both schools were ranked No. 13 team in the country at the time. The Ducks have also lost close games with North Carolina and Gonzaga.
Montana (4-6) wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday when it travels to take on Omaha. Montana's first Big Sky Conference game is a home contest with Northern Arizona on Dec. 28.
