SAN JOSE, Calif. — Just like that, they’re done.
Oregon, facing a must-win situation Saturday against UCLA, headed into the game with the hope of winning the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament.
The Bruins convincingly dashed that possibility.
UCLA freshman Nikki Blue scored 30 points, had a tournament record eight steals and grabbed five rebounds as the Bruins upended Oregon, 71-58, in front of 4,188 fans in Silicon Valley.
The loss ends Oregon’s (12-16 overall) season and ensures the Ducks will miss the postseason for the first time in nine years.
“Certainly, a disappointing and frustrating way to end the season,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said.
Sophomore Andrea Bills had 15 points to lead the Ducks, who lost for the third time this season against the tournament’s fourth-ranked team. It’s the first time the Ducks have lost three times in a season to a Pac-10 squad.
The loss capped off Oregon’s worst season — record-wise — since the 1992-93 season, a year before former head coach Jody Runge took over the team. That was also the last time the Ducks missed the postseason.
The loss also ended a year that was abound in turmoil, from Shaquala Williams’ dismissal, to junior Cathrine Kraayeveld’s staph infection that kept her out of 13 Pac-10 games.
But Oregon should take some comfort in the fact they were ranked fifth in tournament. After a shaky start to the season, the Ducks found themselves as low as ninth place in the Pac-10 standings.
Still, the Ducks’ performance against UCLA was nothing to write home about.
Oregon continued its late season dominance on the boards, grabbing 39 rebounds to UCLA’s 37. But 25 turnovers ultimately led to the Ducks’ doom.
“We just didn’t match their intensity at times,” Kraayeveld said. “They just outplayed us at times, and we didn’t step up to that.”
UCLA (18-10) employed a full-court defense for much of the first half and the last 10 minutes of the second. That led to Oregon’s inability to keep its offense flowing, especially in the first 10 minutes of the game.
The Ducks scored just two points in the first eight minutes of the contest and began the game 1-of-9 from the field.
“Our defense is definitely what makes us go,” UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said. “Oregon did a very good job of working the ball inside and we had to go back to the full court press.
“That’s when we’re a better team. Our perimeter really likes getting after it.”
The Oregon posts were able to get 30 points in the paint, compared to the Bruins’ 18.
Much like their previous loss to UCLA, the Ducks started off strong in the second half, but cooled down midway through the stanza. That led to a 11-0 UCLA run that ended with just over seven minutes left.
“Turning the ball over really hurt us,” Smith said. “The fatigue factor is there as well. Certainly, I think we got a little tentative and didn’t attack.”
Oregon, already down to nine players due to the Kayla Steen’s season-ending ACL injury last week, nearly lost Kraayeveld early in the first. After a tumble under the Oregon basket, Kraayeveld came up limping. Her left ankle was looked at on the sidelines, but she came back to start the second half.
The end of the first half saw the Ducks creep to within three, 29-26, but not for long. Greco banked-in three-pointer with less than a second left, sending UCLA to a six-point lead at the break.
UCLA’s Whitney Jones started the game off with a three-pointer at the 19:35 mark. Kraayeveld came on with a jumper at 19:02 to score Oregon’s first points.
The teams combined to shoot 4-of-21 from the field in the first seven minutes of the game.
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