EUGENE, Ore. (Interstat) — In a game where the final score belied the struggle it took to get there, the Oregon Ducks escaped Matthew Knight Arena with a narrow 67-63 victory over the Rice Owls in a non-conference men’s basketball game Friday night.

The heavily favored Ducks, projected by statistical models to win with near certainty, were pushed to the brink by a resilient Rice squad that led for a majority of the contest. Oregon’s second-half surge, keyed by a dominant performance from center Nate Bittle, was just enough to overcome a sluggish start and avoid a monumental upset in front of 5,619 fans.

Rice, coming off a 109-38 rout of Biblical Stud. just three days prior, showed no intimidation from the outset. The Owls executed their game plan with precision in the first half, stifling the Oregon offense and building a 32-27 lead by the intermission. The Ducks, meanwhile, appeared out of sync, a stark contrast to their season-opening 60-59 grind-out win against Hawaii.

The second half saw the game transform into a tense, back-and-forth affair. Oregon emerged from the locker room with renewed energy, chipping away at the Rice lead. The Owls, however, refused to wilt, answering every Oregon run with a clutch basket of their own to maintain a slim advantage.

The turning point came in the final ten minutes, as Oregon’s size and athleticism began to wear down the visitors. Central Point native Nate Bittle, a 7-foot junior, was the catalyst. He imposed his will on both ends of the floor, finishing the night with a game-high 25 points, eight rebounds and a staggering six blocked shots in 31 minutes of action. His presence in the paint altered countless other Rice attempts and provided the defensive anchor Oregon desperately needed as they mounted their comeback.

With Bittle controlling the interior, the Ducks finally wrestled the lead away from Rice midway through the half. The Owls, led by the backcourt duo of Trae Broadnax and Nick Anderson, continued to fight. Broadnax, a 6-4 guard from Savannah, Ga., poured in 17 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Anderson, a Houston native, added 16 points. Jalen Smith of Orlando facilitated the offense, dishing out five assists to go with his 14 points.

Each time Oregon threatened to pull away, Rice had an answer. But the Ducks’ balanced attack proved slightly too much. Alongside Bittle’s heroics, point guard Jackson Shelstad of West Linn, Ore., provided steady leadership, logging 34 minutes and contributing 11 points and four assists. Forward Kwame Evans from Baltimore chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, and Sean Stewart of Windermere, Fla., added nine points and five boards off the bench.

For Rice, the effort was a testament to their grit. Stephen Giwa, a 6-9 forward from Houston, battled on the glass, pulling down a team-high nine rebounds. Andrew Akuchie of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., added seven points and five rebounds. Despite the loss, the Owls demonstrated they could compete with a ranked power-conference opponent on the road, a significant step forward for the program.

Oregon’s victory, while not the comfortable win the oddsmakers predicted with a 15.5-point spread, moves them to 2-0 on the young season. The Ducks will look to build on the hard-fought win when they host South Dakota State on Wednesday. Rice, now 1-1, will return to Houston for their home opener against Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday. The game’s total score of 130 points fell well under the pregame over/under line of 147.5, a reflection of the defensive intensity that defined much of the contest.