Kwame Evans Jr.’s 21 points and Nate Bittle’s18 led another offensive outburst for Oregon in a 94-69 win over Portland on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
Four days after putting up 104 points in a blowout win over UC Davis, Oregon shot the ball well again and put the Pilots away early in the second half, turning a seven-point lead into a 21-point advantage less than 10 minutes into the second half.
Maybe the most encouraging development for the Ducks (6-5) in their second straight win after a five-game losing streak was the production from Bittle. He looked much more like one of the top players in the Big Ten following two sub-par performances as he worked his way back from an ankle injury that kept him out of two games after Thanksgiving.
Jackson Shelstad added 14 points and seven rebounds while Dezdrick Lindsay added 14 points and five rebounds off the bench for the Ducks. Lindsay’s four 3-pointers were part of Oregon’s 13 makes from long distance.
Joel Foxwell led the Pilots (7-5) with 21 points. Mikah Ballew and Timo George contributed 10 points apiece.
Oregon had 13 steals and scored 19 points off Portland’s 17 turnovers.
In going from a 51-44 lead early in the second half to a 76-55 edge with 10:40 to go, the Ducks hit six 3-pointers, including two each for Lindsay and Bittle.
Ball movement was key for Oregon, which has scored 90 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since 2018.
Nine early points from Foxwell had the Pilots up 16-15 at the 14:24 mark of the first half, but that would be the last time Portland held the lead. Oregon gradually took control and went ahead by double digits for the first time at the halftime buzzer, when Shelstad knocked down a contested 3-pointer as time expired for a 51-41 advantage.
Oregon had six dunks in the first half alone, four from Evans.
