Jackson Shelstad’s 22 points and 20 from Takai Simpkins led Oregon to an 83-69 win over South Dakota State Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
The two combined to make nine of Oregon’s 15 3-pointers on the night, with Shelstad adding eight assists for the Ducks (3-0). Shelstad and Simpkins made two key 3-pointers each late in the game to seal the Ducks’ win, and Nate Bittle added 14 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in three games.
South Dakota State (2-2) got 14 points from Joe Sayler and Luke Haertle in the loss. The Jackrabbits trimmed a double-digit lead to one point in the second half but couldn’t overtake the Ducks.
Shelstad’s performance was particularly encouraging for Oregon. The third-year point guard struggled to make shots in the Ducks’ last game on Nov. 7, a four-point win over Rice, in his first action of the season after a hand injury limited his practice time for more than month leading up to the season opener.
On Wednesday, he looked more like the player that has been an integral part of the program’s recent success.
Drew Carter’s 3-pointer at the 12:23 mark of the second half gave the Ducks a 56-45 lead, but the Jackrabbits fought back with a 13-3 run to pull to one point down.
Jaden Jackson, Caleb Delzell and Haertle knocked down 3-pointers, and when Alec Squires stole the ball and fed Haertle for a layup, South Dakota State trailed 59-58 with 9:30 to go.
The Jackrabbits made it 64-62 at the six-minute mark, but the Ducks got 3-pointers from Shelstad and Simpkins to take a 70-63 lead.
South Dakota State didn’t have an answer, and Simpkins and Shelstad sealed Oregon’s win with jumpers on back-to-back possessions for a 75-64 lead with 1:46 to play.
Oregon led by as many as nine, 31-22, on a 3-pointer from Shelstad with 6:34 to play in the first half. The nine-point lead was Oregon’s largest of the first half, and the Ducks took a 40-34 lead into halftime.
Simpkins led the Ducks with 12 first-half points, and Bittle added 11 with six rebounds.
