Oregon men’s basketball (19-8, 8-8 Big Ten) picked up its third-straight win in a nail biting, 80-78 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes (14-12, 5-10 Big Ten). Behind 38 points in the paint and a dominating performance on the boards, the Ducks outmuscled the Hawkeyes.
Nate Bittle’s 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks embodied that physical mentality perfectly and fueled Oregon’s win.
The Hawkeyes won just one of their last five coming into Wednesday, while the Ducks rebounded from a five-game losing streak with victories in their last two contests.
Iowa’s top scorer, Payton Sandfort, started out hot and made his first three shots, which scored eight of the first 15 Hawkeye points. Sandfort led his team in scoring with 25 points, and not far behind him was his backcourt mate Josh Dix with 19.
There was nothing to split the two squads halfway through the first half as each team showed flashes of efficient offense. Bittle became the focal point for the Ducks on that end, as Iowa didn’t have anyone to match his height.
Oregon failed to contain the Hawkeyes’ mid-range shooting, which accounted for 10 of the first 22 Iowa points. Once the Ducks started getting stops, however, they were able to work on building the lead.
The Ducks didn’t connect on shots from beyond the arc, but their ability to force the action inside continued to cause problems for the Hawkeyes.
Bittle hit six of his seven shots in the first half, which was good for 14 points. Oregon also outrebounded Iowa 16-12 in the opening frame, which ballooned to 36-27 by the end of the contest.
While the game against Rutgers could be characterized by the Ducks’ 3-point shooting, Wednesday’s contest became the opposite. Oregon scored 26 of its 45 points in the first half inside the paint.
The interior offense was efficient enough that Oregon took a 45-37 lead into the break.
Iowa opened the second by scoring the first five points of the half, which gave the Hawkeyes needed momentum as they attempted to cut into the Oregon lead. Two-straight Brandon Angel buckets inside brought it back to neutral, however.
The Ducks gave up a 7-0 run afterward, which included five-straight from Sandfort which tied the contest at 49 early in the second half.
Oregon made just two of its first 11 shots in the second, which also contributed to the run and allowed Iowa to take its first lead since it was 1-0, as Sandfort converted a 3-pointer.
Two-straight makes from Keeshawn Barthelemy and TJ Bamba quickly brought the Oregon lead back up to five. After Barthelemy missed his next one, two-straight from Ra’Heim Moss and Jadrian Tracey bolstered the lead again.
Everyone who played for the Ducks hit a field goal except the team’s leading-scorer for the season, Jackson Shelstad. Aside from three free throws, Shelstad proved a non-factor on offense throughout the majority of the game.
The second half gave way to a much slower pace of play, which benefited the Hawkeyes, who relished the opportunities to be patient and find open shots.
Iowa also switched into a 2-3 zone, which hurt Oregon’s interior offense and forced it to settle for contested jump shots.
After a five minute stretch where the Hawkeyes outscored the Ducks 13-4, Oregon surrendered the lead yet again, but another timely triple gave it right back.
The last three minutes became a back-and-forth battle after that, and the Ducks, who struggled to score in the paint in the second, forced the ball inside.
Even after not making a field goal for the final two-and-a-half minutes, Oregon thought the contest was wrapped up when it started the free throw battle and went up four. However, an Iowa layup and crucial turnover by Shelstad gave the Hawkeyes an opportunity to take the last shot down two.
Iowa squandered its opportunity to take a shock win, as Bittle made a crucial block on a Dix three and secured a 80-78 win for the Ducks.
Oregon continues its road trip when it takes on the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers in Madison on Saturday.
