Rivaldo Soares and Tyrone Williams each recorded his first career double-double as short-handed Oregon led wire-to-wire in an 84–58 win over UC Irvine in a first-round NIT matchup on Wednesday, March 15, in Eugene, Ore.
Nate Bittle scored 16 of his 17 points in the second half for the top-seeded Ducks (20–14), who won despite missing their top three scorers: N’Faly Dante (ankle), Jermaine Couisnard (shoulder) and Will Richardson (hip).
Soares had 21 points and 10 rebounds to help Oregon avenge a 69–56 loss to the Anteaters in Eugene on Nov. 11. Williams tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Dawson Baker scored 16 points to lead UC Irvine (23–12), which shot 30 percent from the field and 4 of 23 (17.4 percent) from 3-point range. Devin Tillis had 10 points and 11 rebounds….