Oregon missed floor general and main scoring threat Jackson Shelstad but found a way to pull out a 60-59 season-opening victory over Hawaii on Tuesday night in Eugene, Ore.
With Shelstad out due to a hand injury, the Ducks got 18 points from Elon transfer Takai Simpkins, including the game-winning layup with three seconds to play. Nate Bittle, who joined Shelstad on the Big Ten’s all-conference preseason team, added 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Oregon went from a seven-point halftime lead to a one-point advantage as Hawaii went on a brief run to start the second half. The Ducks appeared to take over when they built a 50-36 lead, but the Rainbow Warriors used a 14-0 run to draw even at 50 with 7:53 to play.
During that stretch, Hawaii’s Dre Bullock drove for a transition dunk with 8:33 to play that energized the visitors’ bench.
The Ducks lost starting forward Kwame Evans to a knee injury midway through the second half. Evans, a key contributor in his first two seasons in the program, appeared to bang knees with a Hawaii player and had to be helped off the court and to the locker room.
Hawaii took its first lead, 54-52, since the first half on an Isaac Johnson jumper with 5:31 to play. Johnson, a former Duck, finished with a team high 13 points and eight rebounds before fouling out.
Gytis Nemeiksa, who led Hawaii in scoring last season, fouled out with eight points and four rebounds.
The Ducks couldn’t get the ball to Bittle in the final minutes and missed several shots before Simpkins gave them a one-point lead with his drive to the basket.
Hawaii had time to get the ball downcourt in the final seconds, but Hunter Erickson was off target with a shot at the buzzer.
