EUGENE — Dominic Artis scored 16 points to lead Oregon over Portland State 80-69 Monday night.
Carlos Emory added 15 points and Damyean Dotson had 12 points and six rebounds for Oregon, which made eight of its first 11 3-point attempts to build a big lead and never trailed in the game.
Two days after needing a strong finish to put away Northern Arizona, the Ducks (2-0) gave a more complete effort against the Vikings (1-1), leading by as many as 21 points in the first half.
“I thought we took a step in the right direction," Oregon coach Dana Altman said.
Artis was six for 13 from the field and made four of Oregon’s nine 3-pointers.
It was the Ducks’ long-range shooting that helped them take a 51-33 advantage into halftime.
Oregon made seven of 10 3-pointers in the first half, with Artis making three and Emory making two. Leading 19-12 near the midway point of the half, Emory made a 3, Artis followed with another on Oregon’s next possession and Emory made it three straight to put the Ducks up 28-12.
Artis made another 3-pointer in the opening minute of the second half to put the Ducks up 54-35, their largest lead of the second half.
“I liked how we came out and played with good enthusiasm and passion in the first half," Oregon forward E.J. Singler said.
Oregon, which has only four returning players from last season, played 13 on Monday, with the freshman backcourt of Artis and Dotson standing out with a combined 28 points.
“We’re going to go through some growing pains," Altman said. “We’re going to have some consistency problems. That’s why energy is so important."
The Ducks stumbled a bit in the second half, as their shooting percentage fell from 58.1 percent in the first half to 37.5, and they cooled off from the 3-point line, making just one of their final eight attempts. They finished shooting 49.1 percent overall and were nine for 19 on 3-pointers.
“We just didn’t have five guys with the same intensity on the floor," Altman said.
The Vikings were able to cut the deficit to single digits when Dre Winston made a pair of free throws to make it 66-57 with 7:28 to play.
Winston and Renado Parker each had 15 points to lead Portland State (1-1).
Also on Monday:
No. 1 Indiana 87
North Dakota State 61
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Cody Zeller scored 22 points and Remy Abell added a career-high 14 to lead Indiana past North Dakota State.
No. 17 Memphis 81
North Florida 66
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tarik Black had 18 points and seven rebounds to lead Memphis in its season opener.
No. 18 UNLV 92
N. Arizona 54
LAS VEGAS — Anthony Bennett scored 22 points to lead five players in double figures for UNLV in its season opener.
No. 19 Gonzaga 84
West Virginia 50
SPOKANE, Wash. — Gary Bell Jr. scored 15 points and Gonzaga crushed West Virginia. Guy Landry Edi added 14 points for the Bulldogs (2-0).
No. 20 Notre Dame 84
Monmouth 57
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Garrick Sherman had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead Notre Dame.
Stanford 81
Cal State Fullerton 68
STANFORD, Calif. — Chasson Randle scored 24 points, Aaron Bright added 16 and Stanford beat Cal State Fullerton in its home opener.