Eugene Omoruyi erupts for career-high 31 points, but Oregon men’s basketball drops season opener to Missouri
In its first game in 271 days, Oregon was led by a player who waited even longer to return to the court.
Eugene Omoruyi, a redshirt senior who sat out last season after transferring from Rutgers, scored a career-high 31 points and had 11 rebounds for the No. 21 Ducks in an 83-75 season-opening loss to Missouri on Wednesday night at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Eugene fought his tail off to keep us in the game,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “Without his physicality and him playing like he did, we hoo. He was by far the brightest spot competitive-wise, toughness-wise. He made up for a lot of guys. Unbelievable effort. Thought he played hard and played well.”
It was a performance 631 days in the making for Omoruyi, who averaged 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in 2018-19 for the Scarlet Knights and last played in a