Hawaii men’s hoops’ upset bid falls on Oregon’s late basket

EUGENE, ORE. >> Takai Simpkins deposited a driving bank shot with 4.2 seconds left to lift Oregon to a 60-59 victory over Hawaii at Matthew Knight Arena on the Ducks’ campus.

UH guard Hunter Erickson’s shot attempt at the final horn did not fall.

The ’Bows had used an 18-2 surge to take a 54-52 lead with 5:30 to play.

UH led 59-58 with 1:32 left. But with 23.4 seconds to go, there was a battle for the ball that eventually landed out of bounds. The officials ruled it was touched by the ’Bows — a ruling that UH coach Eran Ganot challenged.

After a video review, the call was upheld.

The Ducks worked the ball to Drew Carter, whose jumper from the left wing would not fall. The ball was batted around, then secured by Simpkins on the right side. The Elon transfer drove the right side of the lane and hit the go-ahead shot with 4.2 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, the ’Bows fed Erickson near midcourt. Erickson drove the lane, but his shot was off the mark, ending the ’Bows’ upset bid in the season opener.

After a first half of malfunctions and missed opportunities, the ’Bows entered the intermission with a 33-26 deficit.

The game and shot clocks malfunctioned three times during the ’Bows’ first possession. As a result, the ’Bows were penalized for exceeding the 30-second shot clock. There would be two more clock malfunctions over the next two possessions.

But time was the least of the ’Bows’ first-half woes. UH made eight steals while forcing the Ducks into 13 turnovers. But the ’Bows could not capitalize. They missed 15 of 17 3-point attempts in the first 20 minutes, some on open looks. They also missed five of nine first-half free throws.

One of the few UH advantages was in reserve play. Isaac Finlinson, last year’s junior college player of the year, scored eight of the ’Bows’ 11 bench points in the first half. The Oregon reserves did not score in the first half.