EUGENE — If you’d hoped to catch Dana Altman’s new-look Oregon squad for the first-time on Thursday night, you only saw a glimpse of what has this year’s team ranked 14th in the preseason Associated Press poll.

Much of the flock was missing in action, as the Ducks were without four key players against Western Oregon in their exhibition opener at Matthew Knight Arena — a 77-58 win in front 7,697 fans. Last year’s leading scorer Payton Pritchard was sidelined with bruised ribs, while freshman Will Richardson and Lou King were also in attendance and out of commission with injuries. Senior Paul White was not in Eugene, as he was attending a funeral in Chicago.

The result was sloppy play mixed in with moments of brilliance. The Ducks looked impotent offensively at times without Pritchard at the helm. Altman elected to start grad transfer Ehab Amin at point guard, despite that not being his natural position, with walk-on Will Johnson acting as the primary back up. Neither played looked comfortable with the ball or initiating Oregon’s offense. The Ducks turned it over 19 times. At one point in the first half, The Ducks had committed 10 turnovers to just nine made field goals.

“Oh boy," Altman opened his press conference. "We had a lot of different looks there, but it showed we have a long way to go. A lot of things to work on.

“Payton is our point guard, [Richardson] is our back up. Ehab and Will Johnson are our third options. It was just a lot different look from what we’ve had in practice."

The young Ducks showed flashes early. Bol Bol's dunks just about brought down the house and Kenny Wooten's blocks had the same effect. But, Western Oregon led 10-8 at the first media timeout, and Oregon didn’t lead by more than four points until late in the first half. The Wolves went on a mini-run to close the half , making it 29-27 at the intermission.

The second half saw cleaner play, as Oregon opened with a 13-5 run to take a 10-point edge five minutes into the first half. From there the Ducks rolled.

“We just had to get into a rhythm," VJ Bailey said. "It started with defense. They were kind of kicking our butt in the first half. We really had to settle down and start playing defense. I think our defensive intensity picked up and our offense came along with it."

Without a slew of talented scorers, the weight of Oregon’s offensive output fell on the shoulders of the super frosh Bol. He finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

“We’ve said from the start that he’s a unique player, and unique talent," Altman said of the 7-footer. "There’s a lot more there. He coasts a lot. He’s working at it. It’s going to be a work in progress all year, but there’s a lot there."

Four other Ducks joined Bol in double figures. Francis Okoro had 16 points with 10 rebounds, VJ Bailey finished with 13 points, while Amin and Abu Kigab each scored 11.

“Francis stepped up big," Bailey said of the freshman. "He’s a big, strong guy. He really helped us on the boards and getting those second chance opportunities."

The Ducks exerted their shot blocking prowess throughout. Several Wolf players attempted to score over Kenny Wooten and were given an education from the Pac-12’s reigning shot block leader. Wooten finished with four blocks for the game. The team finished with seven. Wooten also added seven points and nine rebounds.

Oregon’s size advantage was plenty evident. The Wolves starting center stood 6-foot-7, nearly half a foot shorter than Bol at 7-foot-2. The Ducks dominated the offensive glass at times, often playing keep-away with each other off the backboard. They finished with a 45-33 rebound edge over WOU.

The banged up Ducks started Amin at point, Bailey at shooting guard, Kigab at small forward, Wooten at power forward and Bol at center. Wooten and Bol may prove to be just the only regular starters of the bunch.

The Ducks will play Portland State on Tuesday at Matthew Knight Arena for a 8 PM. The hope is for Pritchard to be available the in that one.

“I hope so," Altman said. "We’ll see how he feels. He wants to play, but he couldn’t go tonight."