Oregon missed floor general and main scoring threat Jackson Shelstad but found a way to pull out a 60-59 season-opening victory over Hawaii on Tuesday night in Eugene, Ore.With Shelstad out due to a hand injury, the Ducks got 18 points from Elon transfer Takai Simpkins, including the game-winning layup with three seconds to play. Nate Bittle, who joined Shelstad on the Big Ten’s all-conference preseason team, added 12 points and 14 rebounds.Oregon went from a seven-point halftime lead to a one-point advantage as Hawaii went on a brief run to start the second half. The Ducks appeared to take over when they built a 50-36 lead, but the Rainbow Warriors used a 14-0 run to draw even at 50 with 7:53 to play.During that stretch, Hawaii’s Dre Bullock drove for a transition dunk with 8:33 to play that energized the visitors’ bench.The Ducks lost starting forward Kwame Evans to a knee injury midway through the second half. Evans, a key contributor in his first two seasons in the program, appeared to bang knees with a Hawaii player and had to be helped off the court and to the locker room.Hawaii took its first lead, 54-52, since the first half on an Isaac Johnson jumper with 5:31 to play. Johnson, a former Duck, finished with a team high 13 points and eight rebounds before fouling out.
