Bittle propels Oregon to 75-61 victory over Montana

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Nate Bittle scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures and Oregon pulled away in the second half to beat Montana 75-61 in the Ducks’ home opener on Friday night.

Bittle made half of his 14 shots with two 3-pointers for Oregon (2-0). He added eight rebounds and blocked four shots, helping the Ducks pull away from a 37-all tie at halftime. Brennan Rigsby hit three 3-pointers and scored 12. Keeshawn Barthelemy, Jermaine Couisnard and reserve Kario Oquendo all scored 11.

Aanen Moody topped Montana (1-1) with 17 points. Freshman Money Williams came off the bench to score 13 and grab six rebounds. Dischon Thomas pitched in with 11 points and six boards.

Jadrian Tracey’s layup gave Oregon a 52-50 lead with 12:07 remaining in the game and the Ducks never trailed again.

Oregon shot 41.3% from the floor, including 7 of 23 from 3-point range. The Ducks made only 16 of 28 foul shots. The Grizzlies shot 37.9% from the floor, missed 15 of 20 shots from beyond the arc but hit 12 of 14 free throws.

Oregon opened the season with an 82-71 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in Las Vegas in just the second meeting between the schools.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball