Struggling and in danger of losing its home opener, Oregon clamped down on defense in the second half and held Eastern Washington without a field goal for more than seven minutes down the stretch to score a 73-65 win Thursday.

The Eagles (1-2) led most of the first 30 minutes of the game, and when Tremayne Johnson buried 3-pointer at 9:01, the Eagles’ lead was 56-53. By the time Eastern Washington scored from the field again at the 1:16 mark on a Parker Kelly jumper, the Ducks (1-1) were in control at 69-63.

The game turned on a 20-second spurt fueled by Ducks’ guard Johnathan Loyd, who put Oregon ahead to stay with a jumper at 5:18, then stole the ball and fed Garrett Sim for a layup. Sim hit a 3-pointer seconds later for a 65-58 lead.

Sim finished with a game-best 17 points, and Tyrone Nared added 15 for the Ducks. Collin Chiverton had 10 points for the Eagles, all in the first half.

The first half ended with both teams ice cold. Neither team hit a basket in the final 4:50, with the Eagles 0-for-8 and the Ducks 0-for-5. During that stretch, Oregon hit four free throws to get the halftime deficit down to 39-34.