Nate Bittle’s big block and 21 points send Oregon to 80-78 win over Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nate Bittle had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and his third blocked shot of the game preserved Oregon’s 80-78 victory over Iowa on Wednesday night.

The Ducks led 80-78 with 13 seconds left but turned the ball over on an inbounds pass. Iowa’s Josh Dix missed a driving layup but the Hawkeyes grabbed the offensive rebound. After a timeout, Dix took a pass from Even Brauns and backed up to 3-point distance where his shot was partially blocked by Bittle. Brauns’ toss at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.

Keeshawn Barthelemy, TJ Bamba and Brandon Angel scored 10 points each for the Ducks (19-8, 8-8 Big Ten), who ended a four-game road losing streak in conference play.

Payton Sandfort scored 25, Dix 19 and Brauns 15 for the Hawkeyes (14-11, 5-9 Big Ten), who have lost 8 of 10.

A 3-pointer by Payton Sandfort put the Hawkeyes up 54-53, their first lead since 1-0. Oregon came back with 3-pointers by Barthelemy and TJ Bamba and the Ducks held the lead until Payton Sandfort and Pryce Sandfort hit back-to-back 3s for a 73-71 Iowa lead with four minutes left.

There were four lead changes in the next two minutes with Oregon taking the final lead 76-75 on a turnaround jumper by Bittle. Although the Ducks held onto the lead it took the big play by Bittle to wrap up the win.

Oregon led for nearly 19 minutes of the first half. There was one tie — 20-20 — before Bittle scored six points and Barthelemy five in an 11-4 run that gave the Ducks a 31-24 lead. They led 45-37 at halftime.

Iowa hosts Washington on Saturday.

Oregon plays at No. 11 Wisconsin on Saturday.

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