Minnesota Beats Oregon 61-44 in Road Win

The University of Minnesota men's basketball team secured a gritty 61-44 victory over Oregon on Tuesday night at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, securing their second true road win of the season despite playing with a shorthanded rotation of just six players.

The Gophers, who entered the game with a 11-14 overall record and 4-10 mark in the Big Ten, snapped a skid that saw them drop nine of their previous 10 contests. Oregon, sitting at 9-17 overall and 2-13 in conference play, had endured a 10-game losing streak before a home win over Penn State on Saturday. Minnesota was without starting big man Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, sidelined for a second straight game by a foot injury that also kept him out of the team's 69-57 loss to Washington over the weekend.

The first half unfolded as a low-scoring affair, with both teams struggling offensively. Minnesota managed just 22 points on 30 percent shooting from the field and went 2 for 11 from three-point range. Oregon matched the Gophers' field-goal percentage but fared even worse from beyond the arc, making zero of eight attempts. The Ducks briefly led 11-10 midway through the period, but Minnesota responded with an 8-0 run fueled by...