High-Scoring Northwest Elite Showdown Goes To Zags

PORTLAND — Meeting for just the second time in 25 years, Oregon and Gonzaga put on a display of offensive efficiency Sunday that was entertaining to the 10,055 fans in Moda Center but less so for the Ducks' head coach.

Both teams combined to shoot 47.5 percent and commit just 16 turnovers, but the No. 7 Bulldogs got a few more stops to come out on top, 91-82. The UO men fell to 6-6 on the season, entering their nonconference finale against visiting Omaha at Matthew Knight Arena next Sunday.

"Our awareness, defensive intensity, was not good enough," UO coach Dana Altman said. "No attention to detail on how we're guarding people. We made a lot of mistakes, defensive mistakes. Now, they can score, don't get me wrong; they average 90 points a game. But we sure didn't take much away."

Nate Bittle had a season-high 28 points to lead the Ducks, and he added nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Kwame Evans Jr. scored 14 point and grabbed seven rebounds with four assists, Takai Simpkins had 13 points and Jackson Shelstad finished with 12 along with four assists.

Bittle was the game's top point producer, but Gonzaga had the next three top scorers. The Bulldogs had a 40-13 advantage in bench points.

"The teams put on a great show," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "Those were two high-level teams going at it."

How It Happened: The Ducks scored on four of their first five possessions, including a 6-0 run on buckets by Dezdrick Lindsay, Simpkins and Evans to take a 9-5 lead. After Gonzaga rallied to go up 11-9, Bittle scored 12 of Oregon's next 14 points, the first five kicking off a 10-0 run that put the UO men up 28-26.

"Nate played good," Altman said. "I mean, 28 points against those guys, five assists, no turnovers, four blocks. Man, after a month out to come back and play like that, he played his tail off. I got no complaints with his effort."

Oregon's defense was key to that run, as the Ducks held the Bulldogs without a field goal for 4:49. After Gonzaga ended that drought with a basket to get within 31-30, Bittle answered it and Wei Lin followed with a jumper to put the UO men up 35-30.

Gonzaga then surged into a 39-37 lead late in the first half. Shelstad scored to tie it, but the Bulldogs beat the halftime buzzer with a three to take a 42-39 lead into the break.

A three by Simpkins followed by a Shelstad jumper kept Oregon within 46-44 early in the second. Gonzaga then broke the game open with a 13-3 lead, putting the Ducks in a 59-47 hole; the UO men didn't get closer than six the rest of the way

That six-point margin came when Oregon ended the 13-3 run on a three-pointer by Evans and a three-point play from Bittle. That cut Gonzaga's lead to 59-53, but an 8-2 run opened things back up for the Bulldogs.

A 9-2 run later in the half put Gonzaga up 82-67. Simpkins cut into that with a four-point play after being fouled on a three-pointer, and some missed free throws by the Bulldogs helped Oregon get within seven a couple of times, at 85-78 and 87-80, before Gonzaga closed it out.

"We've just got to get a lot tougher," Altman said. "We're just not a tough, disciplined team. … We can't give up 90 points. We don't win many games doing that. That's not us."

Notable: Bittle surpassed his previous season high of 25 against Rice on Nov. 7. … Lin's nine points were a season high. … The Ducks played their third straight game without injured forward Devon Pryor.

Up Next: The Ducks host Omaha on Sunday (5 p.m., BTN).