Simpkins’ basket with just seconds left helps Oregon fend off pesky Hawaii 60-59

By Canadian Press on November 4, 2025.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Takai Simpkins scored 18 points and his game-winning running jump shot with 4.2 seconds left helped Oregon avoid an upset by beating Hawaii 60-59 in a season opener for both teams on Tuesday night.

Without a timeout, Hawaii’s Hunter Erickson took the inbounds pass and managed to dribble to the Hawaii foul line but his running jumper went off to the left to end the game.

Trailing 59-58, with 39 seconds left, Oregon missed five-shot attempts, secured four offensive rebounds and won a Hawaii challenge for possession before Simpkins’ game winner.

Dezdrick Lindsay’s layup with 11:05 remaining put Oregon ahead 50-36. The Rainbow Warriors responded with a 14-0 run that saw Oregon fail to score in a four-minute span. The Ducks led 33-26 at halftime.

Nate Bittle scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Oregon.

Isaac Johnson scored 13 points for Hawaii, which was seeking its first win over Oregon since 1999.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

The Associated Press