EUGENE, Ore. — Rivaldo Soares had 21 points in Oregon's 84-58 win against UC Irvine on Wednesday night in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
Soares added 10 rebounds for the Ducks (20-14). Nate Bittle scored 17 points while shooting 5 for 10 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line, and added three blocks. Tyrone Williams shot 3 of 6 from the field and 5 for 9 from the foul line to finish with 12 points.
The Anteaters (23-12) were led by Dawson Baker, who recorded 16 points. Devin Tillis added 10 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for UC Irvine. DJ Davis also recorded nine points.
Oregon took the lead with 19:32 remaining in the first half and did not give it up. Soares led their team in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them up 35-22 at the break. Bittle scored 16 points in the second half to help lead the way as Oregon went on to secure a victory, outscoring UC Irvine by 13 points in the second half.
The Ducks will play the University of Central Florida (UCF) in the second round on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene (4:30 p.m., ESPNU and ESPN+). UCF upset Florida in the first round 67-49.
The quarterfinals will be played March 21 and 22, the semifinals March 28 and the championship game is March 30 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
