Since being hired by Oregon in 2010, head coach Dana Altman’s squads lead the Pac-12 in winning percentage over the second half of conference play, winning 70% of their games.
On Wednesday night in Matthew Knight Arena, the Ducks showed why, throwing UCLA into a frenzy down the stretch with a disruptive full-court press and big-time shot-making.
With the 82-74 win, the Ducks now sit atop the conference at 18-5 (13-4) with one regular season game remaining.
With the Ducks and Bruins knotted in a tight race for the conference lead, crisp decisions, fluid ball movement and a frenetic pace defined the game’s first half.
UCLA guard Jules Bernard, who finished with a season-high 23 points, pushed the Bruins out of the gate. He attacked the rim early and often, exploiting Oregon’s 6-foot-6-and-under starting lineup. Bernard scored 15 in the first half alone, far surpassing his season average of 9.4 points per game.
“Boy he was killing us,” Altman said. “He was getting to the rim, he hit threes. He was absolutely killing us… he was getting to the rim whenever he wanted.”
Oregon meanwhile, spread the wealth. A Chris Duarte layup off a cut, then a pull-up jumper near the free throw line from Eric Williams Jr. and a Eugene Omoruyi wing three-pointer. All five Ducks starters scored six or more in the first half.
Tied at 10, Duarte attacked his defender hard, driving right and finishing a double-clutch layup at the rim to give the Ducks the lead.
Two possessions later, with the ball on the right wing, Williams Jr. hit a three off a series of jab steps and up fakes. The three gave the Ducks a 17-14 lead, the largest lead either team held in the first 20 minutes.
With just under seven minutes to go until half, the breakneck pace finally slowed. After receiving a well-placed entry pass, Omoruyi backed down his defender before throwing up a tough and-on layup. His free throw was just the first on the night.
On the other end, Bernard continued his brilliance. After unleashing and hitting a three on the previous possession, he soared through the lane, corralling a rebound and putting it back in for two.
UCLA entered the locker room with a 39-37 lead after shooting 60% from the field.
Bernard nailed his second three of the game early in the second half to give UCLA a 44-39 lead.
Oregon went on a tear to retake control.
LJ Figueroa tapped a missed three out to Eric Williams then reallocated to the corner before catching the ball and hitting a three. Then, after the Ducks forced a steal, he converted on the other end with a euro-step.
On the next possession, the Ducks again took it away as Duarte careened down the court for a fast break layup of his own, giving Oregon the lead. After UCLA fired it down the court to Cody Riley, Omoruyi met him at the rim with a resounding block before repositioning and taking a charge just moments later.
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin yelled at his players from the sideline.
“Wake up,” he screamed.
The Bruins turned it on. David Singleton struck first and stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer. Then came an avalanche: a Jaylen Clark jumper, a hesitation pull-up on the wing from Bernard, a wide-open dunk after a defensive breakdown from the Ducks and a third three-pointer from Bernard — his last bucket of the game. UCLA regained the lead with 14 minutes to go, 56-47.
After the momentum had swung back in the Bruins’ favor, it began to slip through their fingertips. With UCLA’s leading scorer Johnny Juzhang struggling to find his shot from outside and point guard Tyger Campbell being smothered by Figueroa, the Bruins’ lost their rhythm offensively.
The Ducks seized the opportunity. They used stout defense to scrape their way back into the game. With seven minutes to go, Oregon trailed 62-60.
“Nine points, a lot of teams I think would have quit,” Altman said. “It wasn’t going well for us, we didn’t have much energy, but great credit to all the guys, they turned it around.”
Oregon’s full-court press took over. With center Chandler Lawson at the top of the press, the Ducks wreaked havoc. They repeatedly forced the Bruins into timeouts.
When the Bruins did manage to get the ball in, aggressive double-teams in the corners led to turnovers as the Oregon bench verbally-berated UCLA’s ball handlers. They jumped up and down, clapping and yelling as they ferociously waved towels and cheered on their teammates.
Despite just two first-half turnovers, UCLA committed six during the Ducks’ 15-2 run.
“Lawson is probably the reason we won this game, his long arms,” Omoruyi said. “He’s probably got the longest arms in America.”
A tip in the passing lanes led to a breakaway dunk for Omoruyi. Then Will Richardson, who played all 40 minutes of Wednesday’s game, pushed the ball down UCLA’s throat, finishing with a nifty step-through.
On the brink of icing the game, Duarte — who added to his Pac-12 Player of the Year resume with 23 points — nailed a wing three, putting the Ducks up 75-68 with two minutes to go.
The Bruins were reeling. After a Richardson push shot and monstrous block from Duarte, Richardson drained a snatch-back three from the wing to seal the win for Oregon with just under a minute to go.
“[Richardson] just took the game over and I didn’t take him out…,” Altman said. “In that second half I thought he was aggressive, I thought he made plays, I thought he had a heck of a second half.”
The Ducks shot over 60% from the field. Figueroa added 18 points and four steals to go along with Richardson and Omoruyi’s 15.
Long after both teams had left the floor, Oregon’s seniors, led by Figueroa, Duarte, Omoruyi and Amauri Hardy, walked out onto the floor. No fans or family members in the arena — no senior night celebration either. The group laughed and posed for pictures at mid court, taking it in for one last time.
Oregon has won nine of their last 10 games, seven of which have come in the last 14 days. The Ducks now look ahead to Saturday, March 7, when they travel to Corvallis to face Oregon State — a must-win if they hope to lock up the conference title.
