EUGENE, Ore. — As soon as the final buzzer had sounded, the celebration started.
The Oregon Ducks had lost all four of their previous matchups against ranked opponents this season, but on Sunday afternoon, they were able to defeat the ninth ranked Utes, 69-58.
From the opening tip, it was a tough matchup between two very good teams, and until the final few minutes, it was an extremely close game.
Why Oregon won: Dillon Brooks was the biggest weapon for the Ducks offensively, and fueled Oregon to the win. He finished with a team-high 19 points, and a game-high eight rebounds. He shot 70 percent from the field and hit 4-of-6 free throws.
He came up big for the Ducks when they needed him most, scoring 12 of his 19 points in the final seven minutes of the game, which helped seal the victory.
Turning point: With just under three minutes left in the game, the Ducks led the Utes by five points. That was before Brooks drove into traffic, and slammed home a beautiful dunk over the defender.
The building erupted, and the momentum shifted. Delon Wright countered with a 3-pointer for the Utes, but after that, the Ducks outscored Utah 10-3 to finish the game.
Grading the teams: The Utes played in a tough atmosphere against a good team. The crowd was electric, and the Ducks made smart defensive adjustments the entire game, which frustrated the rhythm of Utah's offense.
The team shot very poorly from the field, shooting only 35.8 percent. They had a tough time scoring the ball, much like they did against Oregon State.
The only exception to the otherwise poor offense was Wright, who scored a game-high 20 points, dished out five assists, and snatched three steals. He made 6-of-9 shot attempts, including four 3-pointers, and shot 100 percent from the free-throw line.
Wright played an extremely efficient and solid game, but the Utes needed more from the rest of the team. Wright was the only Utah player to score over seven points.
The Utah defense wasn't as smothering as it has been in weeks past, as the Ducks shot an average 44.4 percent.
The Utes played a very good Oregon team in their own building, but they didn't show up and play like the elite team that they are. Aside from Wright, there wasn't a bright spot to fuel the team.
Utah Runnin' Utes grade: C-
The Ducks came to play.
Offensively, Oregon moved the ball well and was able to get decent looks at the basket for most of the game. Joseph Young's ball-handling and ability to slice through the defense opened up plays for the rest of the Ducks.
The team shot a tremendous 83.3 percent from the free-throw line, including making 7-of-8 in the final 1:17 of the game. There isn't a better team in the Pac-12 conference at the free-throw line than the Ducks, and that was a big difference-maker in the final outcome.
Defensively, the Ducks constantly alternated between a man defense and a zone, which kept the Utes on their toes. The zone worked extremely well down the stretch, and prevented Wright from easily attacking the basket.
Oregon was hyped to play such an elite team, and it showed in the game. The Ducks were more prepared to impose their will on the game, and it was just enough to beat Utah down the stretch.
Oregon Ducks grade: A
Three telling stats:
— Oregon won the rebounding battle 35 to 31.
— The Utes average just over 17 3-point attempts a game. They attempted 29 on Sunday.
— Utah lost the turnover battle, committing 14 to Oregon's 11.
Up next: Next on the schedule for Utah is a Thursday evening matchup in Salt Lake City against Arizona State. That game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
You can follow Mitch Kunzler on Twitter at @MitchKunzler.