IOWA CITY, Iowa — Nate Bittle put on a strong performance with 21 points and 10 rebounds, helping secure Oregon’s narrow 80-78 win over Iowa on Wednesday evening.

The Ducks held a narrow lead of 80-78 with just 13 seconds remaining in the game when they committed a turnover during an inbounds pass. Iowa’s Josh Dix attempted a driving layup that missed, but the Hawkeyes managed to secure the offensive rebound. After taking a timeout, Dix received a pass from Even Brauns, stepping back beyond the arc for a 3-point attempt that was partially blocked by Bittle. Brauns then threw up a shot at the buzzer, which hit the front rim but did not drop.

In addition to Bittle’s standout performance, Keeshawn Barthelemy, TJ Bamba, and Brandon Angel each contributed 10 points for the Ducks (19-8, 8-8 Big Ten), who successfully broke a four-game losing streak on the road within the conference.

For the Hawkeyes (14-11, 5-9 Big Ten), Payton Sandfort led the scoring with 25 points, followed by Josh Dix with 19 and Even Brauns with 15. Iowa has struggled lately, losing 8 of their last 10 games.

A pivotal moment came when Payton Sandfort hit a 3-pointer, giving the Hawkeyes a 54-53 lead, their first since the game started at 1-0. Oregon responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Barthelemy and Bamba, maintaining the lead until the Sandfort brothers, Payton and Pryce, drained consecutive 3-pointers, flipping the score to 73-71 in favor of Iowa with four minutes left to play.

The final minutes saw four lead changes, with Oregon reclaiming the advantage at 76-75 thanks to a turnaround jumper by Bittle. Though Oregon managed to cling to their lead, it was Bittle’s crucial plays that ultimately solidified their victory.

Throughout much of the first half, Oregon held the upper hand, leading for nearly 19 minutes. The only tie occurred at 20-20 before Bittle tallied six points and Barthelemy registered five during an 11-4 run, which enabled the Ducks to take a 31-24 lead. They ended the first half ahead 45-37.

Looking ahead, Iowa will host Washington on Saturday, while Oregon will face off against No. 11 Wisconsin on the same day.