University of Oregon
2-0,0-0Big Ten
Rice
1-1,0-0American
Strong Second Half Leads to Oregon Win Against Rice
11/07/25 | Men's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. — Nate Bittle scored a game-high 25 points and blocked six shots as Oregon rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Rice 67-63 on Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (2-0) trailed 32-27 at halftime but surged ahead with a 40-point second half behind Bittle's dominance inside and a 9-0 run midway through the half that swung momentum and energized the home crowd.
Jackson Shelstad returned from injury and provided a big lift for the Ducks despite shooting just 2 of 12 from the field. The Oregon native added four assists and four rebounds, giving Oregon much-needed stability and ball control.
"Oh man, getting Jackson back was really important," head coach Dana Altman said. "We cut our turnovers way down against a team that pressured much more than what we saw on Tuesday. So that was a big, big difference. He didn't turn it over, had the ball in his hands a lot, so that was important."
How it happened: The Ducks were sluggish in the first half, shooting just 26.7 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3-point range and 53.8 percent from the free-throw line. Trae Broadnax paced the Owls with 12 points in the half to help Rice take the lead into the break.
The Owls built their largest lead at 34-27 early in the second half before Oregon responded with a 9-0 run capped by a Bittle layup to take its first lead since the opening minutes. The Ducks' biggest lead came at 49-40 after Kwame Evans Jr.'s corner 3-pointer with 9:16 remaining.
Oregon continued to apply pressure defensively and got multiple Rice players into foul trouble, leading to four Owls fouling out late in the game. The Ducks couldn't capitalize at the line and continued to struggle from the field, giving Rice an opportunity to cut the deficit to four in the final seconds. But Shelstad sealed the win with two clutch free throws.
Notable: Bittle's 25 points were the second-most of his career, and his six blocks tied his career high. … Sean Stewart was a plus-13 off the bench in 24 minutes. … Shelstad scored 11 points in his season debut, adding four rebounds and four assists. … Evans Jr. missed just one shot on the night and finished with 11 points and five rebounds. … Oregon shot 26 of 38 from the free-throw line after drawing 29 fouls, while Rice went 8 of 11.
Up next: Oregon hosts South Dakota State on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Matthew Knight Arena (6:30 p.m., Peacock).
