Nate Bittle flew home a hero after his double-double performance against Iowa led the Oregon Ducks to a narrow victory over the Hawkeyes.
After a dominant first half on the offensive end of the court, the Ducks led 45-37 but Oregon's shooting streak cooled off in the second and the Ducks struggled to hold off the offensive attack by the Iowa Hawkeyes.
However, behind Bittle's 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, the Ducks were able to pull off the win and flew home with an 80-78 win over Iowa.
Throughout the matchup between the Big Ten opponents, Oregon and Iowa traded baskets as both defenses struggled to slow down their opponent's offensive attempts. The Ducks shot a respectable 47.6 percent from the field and both teams shot exactly 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.
"They're a very rhythmed team, we're not taking any of their rhythm away," said Dana Altman, Oregon's head coach. "They're just passing it wherever they want, we're not getting any deflections."
The game changer was truly Bittle's rebounds as Oregon earned 36 boards compared to Iowa's 27 snags off the glass. Both teams' benches combined for 26 points apiece as the game came down to the wire and Bittle blocked Josh Dix's three-point attempt to secure the victory.
One Duck who greatly underperformed was sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad who went 0-for-7 from the field, including an 0-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. Shelstad's only point in the game came from the charity stripe – a performance that was underwhelming for a guard who has been dominant from the field as of late.
Oregon has just four Big Ten matchups remaining ahead of the conference tournament – at No. 11 Wisconsin, vs. USC, vs. Indiana, and at Washington.
The Ducks and the Wisconsin Badgers are scheduled to tip off at 9 a.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 22. The game will be broadcast on FOX.