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UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks Basketball Recap

UCLA 64, Oregon 54

It wasn’t exactly pretty and it required a long period of struggle, but the youth of UCLA finally shoved aside a gritty challenger whose worst days are quickly receding into the past.

Yes, the UCLA Bruins are steadily shoring up what is clearly an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume at this point in time, but it’s also worth noting that the Oregon Ducks are winning respect throughout the Pac-10 Conference.

UCLA used a tremendous second half push to defeat Oregon in Pac-10 competition from Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday evening. The win moved head coach Ben Howland’s Bruins to 8-3 in the conference, one game behind league leader Arizona.

Oregon dropped to 5-7 in league play and missed a chance to run its winning streak to three games. Nevertheless, the Ducks – so close to reaching the .500 mark in the conference in the middle of February – made the homestanding Bruins sweat. Such a feat, modest though it may be, was inconceivable to Pac-10 watchers just three weeks ago. Oregon, which just dusted off the Washington schools the week before, is rapidly rounding into form with a roster that did virtually nothing in 2010 under ex-coach Ernie Kent. Oregon coach Dana Altman is wowing the locals in Eugene with his evident skill on the bench; if Oregon can recruit at a high level this coming year, the Ducks should be an NCAA Tournament contender before too long, and that side of the story has to be acknowledged after a fierce battle in which the Ducks trailed by only four points (50-46) with five minutes left before the Bruins pulled away down the stretch.

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UCLA was led by Malcolm Lee’s 25 points. Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm, both shooting under 45 percent on the evening. The difference was made on the glass as the Bruins dominated the boards to the tune of 38-23, swallowing up virtually every 50-50 ball in the final five minutes of regulation. Jarime Anderson and Lazeric Jones each scored in double figures to help the Bruins score their eighth win in nine contests, part of UCLA’s own display of resilience in 2010. The Bruins were robbed by the referees in a controversial one-point loss at Kansas in December, and they lost at home to lowly Montana as well. This was an NIT team in the middle of December, but in the subsequent seven weeks, this team has found itself and engineered the transformation Angelinos were so dearly hoping for. One year after missing the postseason altogether, UCLA will return to where it belongs: Safely in the field of 68.

The Ducks led the contest by three points at halftime but couldn’t stop the Bruins in the second half. UCLA outscored Oregon by 13 points in the second stanza. Altman’s UO outfit began Pac-10 play at just 1-5 but had shown a considerable degree of improvement during the last month as the Ducks won four of their last five games before Thursday night’s contest. Joevan Catron led Oregon with 15 points while Jay-R Strowbridge added 14 points for the Ducks. 

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer