Full-strength Ducks top Owls with second half run to reach 2-0

How nice it is to go into a big game with all of your weapons. The Ducks used 25 points and 8 rebounds from center Nate Bittle, coupled with a strong second half rally to top Rice in Matthew Knight Arena Friday night, running their record to a 2-0.

Jackson Shelstad returned from a broken hand suffered in fall practice to play 35 minutes. He shot 2-12 from the floor but connected on 5-6 from the free throw line and chipped in four rebounds and four assists, three steals while hitting a pair of threes to total 11 points.

Forward Kwame Evans started after taking a nasty spill against Hawaii. He played 26 minutes and also scored 11 points on 3-4 shooting with five rebounds, 4-4 from the line.

Oregon trailed 32-27 at the half but rallied for 40 points in the second, outscoring the Owls 40-31. With 14:27 to play two free throws by Bittle got the Ducks within one at 37-36, then Shelstad fed the 7-0 for a layup to take the lead.

Oregon pulled out in front to stay on free throws by Wei Lin and a layup from transfer forward Sean Stewart, 44-40 with 10:26 to play, the Ducks getting a boost from their bench. An Evans tip-in made it 46-40, then the junior from Baltimore hit a three to widen the lead to 9.

At the 7:32 mark reserve walk-on Dezdrick Lindsay connected on a three to make it 52-43, completing a 12-3 run. Rice stormed back within three with a run of their own, but a Bittle layup and two free throws by Stewart got the Ducks a 56-50 advantage with 4:23 to play and they hung on from there, Sheltstad and Bittle each making a pair of free throws, Evans hitting two clutch free throws to get them ahead 63-55 with 1:41 to play.

They didn't score again until Bittle sunk two more from the charity strip with 14 seconds to play, then Shelstad dropped in two more to seal it. In all the Ducks shot 26-38 from the line, 76 percent in the second half. They also cut down on their turnovers with just 12 for the game.

Dana Altman said on post-game radio, "Hopefully we'll learn from a win but we've got a tremendous amount of work to do."

"I still think we got a good ball club, but we've got to start grinding a lot more. We're going to have to get a lot tougher. We're going to have to grind a lot more than what we are right now."

The team has another tune-up game Wednesday at home versus South Dakota State, then a Monday November 17 tipoff against traditional rival Oregon State, also at Matthew Knight. Thanksgiving week they'll have three games at the Player's Era Festival in Las Vegas, the first two against Auburn and San Diego State.