There were a few new faces in uniform for Oregon on Monday night.
He was, however, a familiar who was having a career night himself.
Sophomore forward Kwame Evans Jr. had 23 points to lead the Ducks to a 91-76 victory over UC Riverside inside Matthew Knight Arena.
A crowd of 5,494 was in attendance for Oregon’s season opener and Evans helped send them home happy by making a career-high 8 of 15 shots overall, 2 of 5 from 3-point range and 5 of 5 from the free throw line in 20 minutes of play. He was second on the team with six rebounds.
“He works harder, he tries harder in practice and when he plays hard, he’s really talented,” coach Dan Altman said.
Evans played in all 36 games last season and made 29 starts. He averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks in 22.5 minutes. His previous career high was 22 points, which he did twice last season – once against USC and once against Oregon State.
“I mean, KJ is really talented,” point guard Jackson Shelstad said. “He’s got all the tools and he’s worked hard this offseason. He’s put on muscle, he’s in the gym every day. I’m just proud of him. He played really hard tonight.”
Starters carry the load for Oregon
Evans was back in the starting lineup Monday alongside Shelstad, veteran center Nate Bittle and newcomers TJ Bamba and Brandon Angel at guard and forward, respectively.
Those five scored a combined 77 points, with all but Shelstad reaching double figures.
Bittle, who missed 31 games last season because of a broken wrist in November and December and an illness the past two months, had a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.
“Nate made a really big jump,” Altman said. “He’s in a really good place. He’s listening, he’s taking criticism, he’s trying to turn things around. He just needs to keep playing hard.”
Angel, a transfer from Stanford, scored 17 on 5 of 6 shooting. He was also 7 of 7 from the free throw line. Bamba, a transfer from Villanova via Washington State, had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Shelstad, a preseason All-Big-Ten selection, had nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, three assists and no turnovers.
“I think our chemistry seems really good, we move the ball and we just play fast,” Shelstad said. “…I think you saw how deep our team is tonight and we’re just going to try to continue to play that way.”
Ducks dominate the statistics
Evans had a team-high 12 points in the first half as the Ducks took a 51-36 advantage.
The Highlanders twice cut Oregon’s lead to seven points in the second half before the Ducks closed out the final six minutes on a 16-8 run.
Overall, Oregon shot 50 percent from the field, overwhelmed UC Riverside 45-29 and had just eight turnovers to go with 16 assists.
“Everyone’s expectations are high,” Altman said. “So we have to keep things in perspective. It’s a home game, a first game, we scored a few baskets but gave up a few easy ones. … I think the guys know it’s a long season. One of 31 games we’ve played. I’m guaranteed, so a lot of work to do.”
What’s next for Oregon
The Ducks’ non-conference season resumes Friday when Oregon takes on Montana at 7 p.m. Friday at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Grizzlies (1-0) opened their season with a 92-61 victory over the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at [email protected] and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG.
This article was originally published on Register-Guard: Oregon men’s basketball opens season with win over UC Riverside
