Oregon men’s basketball took advantage of a scorching start from the field to blow out UCLA 82-64 at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday.
In the first half, the Ducks (14-6, 4-3) shot 75 percent from the field, went 6-7 from three-point range and held UCLA (11-9, 3-4) to 42.9 percent shooting to build an insurmountable 46-31 lead by halftime. Oregon finished with a 62.3 percent shooting clip on a day where everything seemed to go its way.
“Coach always says we have 10 games making it and 10 games where we’re not going to make it,” Jalil Abdul-Bassit said. “Today was one of those nights where we shot the ball well.”
While its actual shooting percentage may have been an anomaly, Oregon consistently found good shots with ball movement and unselfish play.
“All the made baskets provide a lot of energy,” head coach Dana Altman said. “We really talked the last couple of days about if we didn’t like what we got in transition, make them guard a bit more. I thought our possessions went longer and we got better shots because of it.”
Dwayne Benjamin had a flawless 6-6 performance from the floor, with three uncontested three-point baskets. Ahmaad Rorie shot 4-4 from the field to bolster Oregon’s gaudy percentages.
Joseph Young, the Ducks’ leading scorer, finished with 16. In all, five Ducks finished with double-digit scoring totals, including four of the five starters. Jordan Bell rounded out the unit to lead the team with seven rebounds and five assists.
“If we move the ball, everyone can make open shots,” Benjamin said.
Defensively, the Ducks weren’t perfect. But after their shooting barrage in the first half, there wasn’t much UCLA could do to get back into the game. Norman Powell and Bryce Alford led the way for the Bruins with 23 and 15 points, respectively. Kevon Looney chipped in 15 points despite fouling out early in the second half.
With the absence of center Tony Parker, UCLA’s weak supporting cast was the difference in the game. Outside of Alford, Powell and Looney, the Bruins went 5-22 from the field for just 11 points.
UCLA finished the game with 41 percent shooting, just below their season average of 46 percent.
To finish off the near-perfect game for Oregon, freshman Roman Sorkin made his debut with a smooth jump shot to close out the game.
“He’s going to have opportunities,” Altman said. “He’s picked things up quick. He definitely needs strength… But his skill level – you could see from the one shot he took – it comes out of his hand pretty nice.”
With a huge confidence boost under its belt, Oregon heads out to Tucson, Arizona to take on the No. 7 Wildcats on Wednesday night in search of its first quality win of the season.
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter
