Nate Bittle scores 25 to rally Oregon to 67-63 victory over Rice

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Nate Bittle scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half to lead Oregon to a 67-63 victory over Rice on Friday night.

Bittle sank 7 of 15 shots with two 3-pointers and 9 of 12 free throws for Oregon (2-0). He added eight rebounds and blocked six shots.

Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr. both scored 11 for the Ducks, who shot 32.7% overall on their home floor and just 25% from 3-point range (7 for 28).

Trae Broadnax had 17 points to lead Rice (1-1), but he scored only five in the second half before becoming one of three Owls to foul out. Nick Anderson had 16 points and Jalen Smith sank four 3-pointers and scored 14 with five assists.

Broadnax hit a 3-pointer to give Rice an early 3-2 lead and the Owls stayed in front until Wei Lin made 1 of 2 free throws to put Oregon up 12-11 with 12:19 left. Rice fell behind by five, but regained the lead at 27-24 on a 3-pointer by Smith and stayed in front over the final 3:53 for a 32-27 advantage at halftime.

Smith hit a 3-pointer to put Rice up by eight early in the second half. Bittle hit a 3-pointer, four free throws and a layup in a personal 9-0 run to give Oregon a 38-37 lead with 14 minutes remaining. A tip-in by the Owls’ Stephen Giwa tied it 40-all, but Evans scored the final five points in another 9-0 run and the Ducks never trailed over the final 11 minutes.

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